Saturday, February 9, 2013

Atul Dodiya’s lecture in the United States

The western audiences get an opportunity to know about the life and art of one of India’s most internationally celebrated and respected contemporary artists, Atul Dodiya. He shares his ideas and explains how he has gone about his career in a lecture at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Born in 1959 in Mumbai, he is considered a flag bearer of the new generation of postmodern Indian art scene. Marked for the richness of its stylistic vocabulary along with iconographic references essentially rooted in Indian and Western art history, his work encompasses diverse traditions, media images, the written word, mythological and religious tales, political events, national history, and an autobiographical touch. The history and culture of his home country plays a significant role in constructing the barrage of images that informs his oeuvre.

His diverse and dynamic art practice, socially and politically responsible in nature, has evolved to become increasingly complex, with the subjects of his address, and his references more specific. A multitude of references populate Dodiya’s artworks, pointing to their vast preoccupations that embrace issues ranging from exuberant Indian economy to the garish kitsch and disturbing disquiet of daily life. is canvases allude to everything - from the eccentric everyday India to high art elements from all over. They embrace issues ranging from exuberant Indian economy to the garish kitsch and disturbing disquiet of daily life.

The acclaimed contemporary Indian artist often employs the shutters as the apt backdrop of his art, which combines pointed snapshots of the city’s fast-changing urban landscape. The shutter art references icons such as Mahatma Gandhi and Hindu gods among other motifs leading to complex surreal compositions.

Driven by intellect, intensity and ideas, he continues to experiment with many forms. The artist’s striking imagery has invariably been packed with a stirring swirl of motifs: Bollywood film stars, political icons, and mythological characters. His works find a place in prestigious collections of major museums across the globe. A lecture at one of the largest museums in the US is another distinction for him.

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