‘Samtidigt/Concurrent’ in Sweden presents artists from the Indian subcontinent

If you are looking for a captivating confluence of renowned and talented artists from the Indian subcontinent, here is an opportunity for you. A major international exhibition now gives an opportunity for the Swedish art lovers to glance at their work.

‘Samtidigt/Concurrent’ presents several noteworthy artists with roots in India and Pakistan, featuring names like Sheba Chhachhi, Chitra Ganesh, Shilpa Gupta, Archana Hande, Rashmi Kaleka, Anita Khemka, Nalini Malani, Pushpamala N, Reena Saini Kallat, Gigi Scaria, Bharat Sikka, Vivan Sundaram, Thukral & Tagra, and Hema Upadhyay.

During recent years, Indian artists have received increasing appreciation globally in spheres of contemporary art. Through diverse forms of expression and perspectives they pose questions about what it means to live in present-day India, a country whose social, economic and cultural development has been accompanied by tumultuous social changes. And this new exhibition is a perfect example of the increasing dynamism of the contemporary Indian art, pushing it to the center stage of the global art stage.

Indian mythology and history are the point of departure in several pieces that illuminate the position of women. Stereotypes and clichés concerning how women have traditionally been portrayed and represented are incisively, albeit humorously exposed. Their condition in daily life and in the wars that are continuously being waged in the name of nation-building owing to the protracted conflict between India and Pakistan since the partition is another recurring theme.

Urbanization and migration leave clear traces; maps are re-drawn and cities grow by leaps and bounds, the boundaries between city and country become fluid and shifting, and the living conditions for many people change rapidly. In this complex context, consumerist society and an expanding global market are often the focus of these artists’ work. They depict the possibilities, the challenges and the risks involved in a new world order in which everything that happens has two sides – simultaneously.