It took well over two years for ‘Indian Highway’ to reach Lyon (France) from London, where it began – and it may take even longer than that before it reaches New Delhi, its final destination.
But this group show of contemporary Indian art does a bit more than just travel; it takes a new spin with every stop that it takes. It brings together the work of around 30 artists from India like Nikhil Chopra, Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher.
The theme - modern & contemporary art representing a whole subcontinent - gets reinterpreted each time to match changing venues, and make room for new works. It was in December 2008 that the traveling show found its first home in Serpentine Gallery in London before it unwound in Oslo, then in the Danish city of Herning, and currently in Lyon.
‘Indian Highway IV’ that started last month, will be hosted in a contemporary art museum of this French city through July 2011. One of the highlights is ‘Take Off Your Shoes’ and ‘Wash Your Hands’ (2007), a 25m long stainless steel installation by Subodh Gupta. It features cooking utensils peculiarly stacked on shelves. This is a subtle reference to the daily life chores of India’s burgeoning middle class, a recurring theme in the artist’s work.
Jitish Kallat’s ‘prehistoric’ vehicles also draw your attention. The ‘Autosaurus Tripous’ (2007) is a skeleton model of a rickshaw. The green & yellow three-wheeler, so ubiquitous in urban India, cannot go unnoticed. Among the other important works on view include new cityscape photographs by Dayanita Singh. Bose Krishnamachari’s “Ghost/Transmemoir” (2008), an installation made of used tiffins, LCD monitors and bundled cables.
The show also focuses on Studio Mumbai Architects, awarded a special jury prize at the 2010 architecture Biennale in Venice. They are known for the social aspect of their work. They have put up a show within the show.
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