Traversing ‘Indian (Sub)Way’

‘Indian (Sub)Way’ at London based Grosvenor Vadehra, deals with the various facets of challenging day-to-day existence in the country marked by opulence as well as its seamier underside that defines the edgy, subterranean its theme.

The exhibition, curated by renowned art critic-curator Yashodhara Dalmia, highlights the country’s weak infrastructure, widening economic disparity and the failure of governance. Among the participating artists are Atul Bhalla, Anita Dube, Anandjit Ray, GR Iranna, Gargi Raina, Gigi Scaria, Jagannath Panda, Manjunath Kamath, Mithu Sen, Nataraj Sharma, Probir Gupta, Ravinder Reddy, Riyas Komu, Shibu Natesan, Sudhanshu Sutar, Sujit SN, Sunoj D, and TV Santhosh.

They question today’s consumerist culture, pointedly questioning the relationship between use and value, as well as highlighting contradictions inherent in everyday life with a touch of irony and crude aesthetic, at times. A curatorial note elaborates: “The traditional way of being, formal yet feisty, altered with the modernization process which gained pace after India's independence. In recent decades the high-tech onslaught brought about by globalization has introduced sweeping changes within cities and has not left villages untouched.

"The artists seem to ask 'Where indeed is the 'Indian Way' heading? Several contemporary Indian artists collectively scan with an ironical tinge, the new glittering towers and glitzy malls juxtaposed with the slums, cesspools and other detritus of existence. The extreme well being and cringing deprivations now largely provide the binaries of existence.”

The show comprises paintings, installations, photographs and digital works by contemporary artists. They articulate in a forthright manner their experiences of living in current challenging climate. It is Ravinder Reddy's sensuous head - both iconic in its gaze albeit punctuated by hubris – that characterizes the undercurrents of this interesting show. Its theme well could be underlined by Gigi Scaria’s large digital work. In both a humorous and poignant vein it denotes the metropolis with its ever growing pleasure zones and business districts. The high-rises, which rest on either side of a damaged flyover with traffic flowing smoothly below, build a dramatic interface.

The participating artists collectively point to the uneven form of development creates bizarre, somewhat comic situations where an eclectic internationalism jostles with the local, even archaic modes. For this, they invent devices that hone in on the glaring contradictions of existing in a country moving ahead on a curvilinear highway in spite of its problem areas.