A group show around Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent movement

Mahatma Gandhi, his astounding legacy and his philosophy has inspired many of the world’s most influential political leaders, freedom fighters as well as social activists like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela who fought for equality on the path Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (persuasion of truth).

The great man dedicated his entire life to the cause of discovering truth and freeing his fellow countrymen from the chains of slavery. His life journey has influenced many artists across generations, keen to re-contextualize his message of peace and tolerance. ‘Freedom to March Rediscovering Gandhi through Dandi’, a major group show just held at London’s Nehru Centre is a testimony to this. The showcase has moved to The Gandhi Memorial Center, Washington DC.

Over a period of one year, many of India’s top contemporary artists traversed the same path that Gandhiji took to better grasp his role in contemporary Indian history and also in shaping up of the Indian socio-cultural fabric. Many of them camped in villages en route Dandi. The works resonate with what they thought on their way to Dandi and how it relates to contemporary India.

Previously hosted at Lalit Kala Akademi and IGNCA (Delhi) courtesy Ojas Art, it celebrates this monumental event through the works including installations, video art, sculptures, photographs, and paintings by A. Ramachandran, Alok Bal, Atul Dodiya, Jagannath Panda, KG Subramanyan, Hindol Brahmbhatt, Manjunath Kamath, KS Radhakrishnan, Prasad Raghavan, TV Santosh and Murali Cheroot, among others. It was on March 12, 1930 that Gandhi left the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad for Dandi, launching a non-violent campaign against the British salt tax. The march turned out to be a major symbolic act in India’s tumultuous political history.

Anubhav Nath along with Johny M.L. has curated the exhibition, with an implied thought that political resistance, urbanization and violence are the three primary influences steering contemporary reality art in India. As a political icon, the Mahatma shares a direct relation with the three aspects. His contribution to India, his philosophy and several aspects of his persona have been interpreted by the participating artists.