Best of Indian art showcased in Beijing - I

The theme of the India Special exhibition at Fifth Beijing Biennale is ‘Future and Reality’. It includes paintings, sculptures and video works. On the whole, works of these handpicked artists is highly representative of the country’s art scene, representing the evolution of contemporary Indian art.

N N Rimzon

Among the artists selected for the special section, N N Rimzon utilizes the magnetic draw of symbols to effectively present challenging ideas. His symbols are derived from his pastoral roots in the verdant countryside of Kerala. In ‘A House under the Tree’ the compact space defines the rural home within a compound-like setting with an overhang of tendrils from a giant tree form. On second thoughts this seemingly pastoral idyll gives way to a more sinister throttling symbolism, where the tree seems to represent within its form an eerie and undercover cynicism.

Poosapati Parameshwar Raju

The calligraphic creations of artist Poosapati Parameshwar Raju who is known for his modern take on the ancient art of calligraphy, in his work titled ‘Sun’, celebrates the winter solstice or Makar Sankranti. The vibrant strokes of his work generate a rhythm suggestive of the beginning of life, its continuance and its end. In an overlay of calligraphic lines suitably adopted to create forms instead of lettering, a whirl of energy is exuded in the stylized play of ink on paper.

Anju Dodiya

The minimal and consummate art of Anju Dodiya showcases her uncanny knack to use the most striking sources for obtaining symbols to express her personal agenda. In the work, titled ‘The Dark Milk of Dawn’, the convolutions and lines on the surface suggest an insight into moments when the artist is in a private and silent conversation with nature at dawn.

Riyas Komyu

Using film and video as categories for depicting their art are Riyas Komu and Chittrrovanu Mazumdar. The former’s projection of Kannagi the archetype of womanhood who never lets injustice pass unnoticed by her, draws from the symbolism of modern politics and military industrial style music to narrate modern evils such as injustice, war, indiscipline. The deliberately loud noise of the video is symbolic of the situation, for according to the artist, we have all become lifeless and dumb beings.

Chittrrovanu Mazumdar

His work, a selection of two digital prints on archival Hannamule Rag Paper, captures oblique recipients of light and dark noticed by him in puddles of water, on the floor of a temple. Above this concentrated image is the vast sky which in his interpretation acts as a catalyst of nostalgia for a time that came before. While one of these works can be seen on a wall, the other can be viewed on a sloping wooden structure in a darkened room.