Thursday, August 1, 2013

A show of works by India's celebrated women artists

Described as the first project in India that brings together the myriad collection of nine most accomplished women artists over the last century, ‘Difficult Loves’ at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) is a mega three-part exhibit series as a glowing tribute to Amrita Sher-Gil; a retrospective of acclaimed artist Nasreen Mohamedi and a show of cutting-edge installations of seven top contemporary artists.

The exhibit brings some of the most acclaimed women artists in the last century of Indian art on one platform for a year-long period. The idea also is to enhance art awareness. A press release reveals, “Inspired by Italo Calvino’s famous book ‘Difficult Loves’ and curated by Roobina Karode, Director, KNMA, the exhibition proposes to talk about adventures, misadventures, complex relationships with objects, subjects, desires and life itself, about trials and errors in the individual artistic journeys of these nine participating artists.

Kiran Nadar, the chairperson of KNMA said, “The objective of ‘Difficult Loves’ is to create a platform to let a diverse audience access some pristine works of women artists across generations. The Nasreen Mohamedi retrospective showcases more than 135 works including 35 seminal works of the artist Mohamedi acquired by KNMA. At the heart of the Sher-Gil memorial exhibition is her famous rare painting ‘Self-Portrait with Easel’, also a part of the KNMA Collection.”

Roobina Karode, the KNMA director and the curator of ‘Difficult Loves’ noted, “I’ve shared personal relationships with all the participating artists. As a student of Nasreen Mohamedi, I had access to her studio and also the privilege of observing her at work. She practiced an art of slow evolution and even slower revelation, demanding from its viewers the intensity of attention."

KNMA, established in 2010, is among India’s first philanthropic museums that create a site for confluence of modern contemporary art. The Shiv Nadar Foundation initiative, it aims to instill a deep sense of appreciation for contemporary art by making it accessible to masses.

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