A panorama of Indian art

More than 30 established and emerging artists from India will showcase their latest works in Dubai in a celebration of Indian art organised by Mumbai-based D.D. Neroy Gallery and curated by gallerist Ghayathri Desai and artist Daxa Khandwala. Titled Empowerment, the show aims to display the amazing diversity, the vibrant colours and the rich artistic heritage of India.

"Art is a creative force that empowers people to express themselves; to influence individual and social change; and to defy the passage of time by capturing moments and holding them for eternity. This exhibition is a celebration of the power of art to empower, and of the different ways in which Indian artists have exercised that power," Khandwala says.

The show features about 100 paintings and sculptures that explore myriad subjects and convey the ethos of contemporary Indian society. The line-up of artists is impressive, with Prafulla Dahanukar and Lalitha Lajmi, two of the senior-most female artists in India, heading the list. Dahanukar is well known for her oil paintings and her ceramic, wood, glass and fibreglass murals on the façades of prominent Mumbai buildings. Her artworks in this show include an abstract painting titled Eternal Space.

Lajmi is recognised as one of the best watercolour artists in India. Her paintings are mostly autobiographical, featuring strong, assertive women. They reflect the hidden tensions between men and women, and depict the natural bonding between women, especially the mother-daughter relationship, inspired by her own bond with her daughter, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi. Her ethereal portraits of women in this show capture the beauty, grace, fragility and strength of Indian women.

As the first Indian to win the Grand Prize from the Portrait Society of America, Vasudeo Kamat is also a well-known name in contemporary Indian art. The two paintings he has created for this show, titled Artist and the Blue Bird and Moon and the Lonely Poet, delve deep within to reveal feelings of loneliness and longing.

Nayanaa Kanodia's paintings of celebrities, public figures, the urban elite and the common man on the street reflect the changing face of India. "My work is a humorous look at the subtle ironies that permeate our daily life as a result of the collision of Eastern and Western culture in modern Indian society. My aim is to present insightful documentation and a visual timeline of our society through the lens of everyday occurrences, objects and people. Most people do not appreciate the beauty of and the insight into our rich tapestry of culture offered by ordinary sights — such as crowded cafés, bustling streets or a flowerseller on the pavement. Through my images, I want to create a heightened consciousness of the present and also of our fast-transforming civilisation. I try to capture a moment but also make the history behind it visible. These are moments of pleasure held forever. They are also tongue-in-cheek observations of individual and group behaviour," the artist says.

On the other hand, Suhas Bahulkar's sepia-toned paintings of women in traditional nine-yard saris in old "wadis" with faded murals and crumbling walls are inspired by his childhood memories and nostalgia for the vanishing culture in which he grew up. The weathered, time-worn look of his paintings extends to the frames as well, taking viewers back to an era when the pace of life was gentler. Similarly, Sanjiivv Sankpal also draws on memories of his village to recreate rural scenes of women washing clothes on the river bank, festive celebrations and goats grazing in the fields.

Khandwala's paintings also hark back to another era. They are inspired by the works of masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Ingres, Raphael, Titian and Poussin. "I began by replicating the works of the old masters and have now evolved my signature style of blending elements of the contemporary world with Victorian themes to comment on the past and the present," she says. In contrast, Desai takes inspiration from mythology, philosophy and symbolism to create her tranquil, spiritual paintings.

The show also features sculptures by Atul Dake and Mahua Ray; Rekha Rao's women-centric paintings; Dean Coelho's music-inspired paintings; artist and environmentalist J.S. Munnolli's paintings of African wildlife; Ritu Gupta's canvases based on traditional Indian miniature art; Surekha Sadana's Sufi paintings; and Prafful Sawant's powerful compositions on the theme of empowerment. Other artists participating in the show include Ravindra Salve, Devangana Chhabria, Sujata Dharap, Dr Bharati Jain, Suniyata Khanna, Poonam Agarwal, Dipti Sarmalkar, Rajasekaran S.K., Kavita Joshi, K. Velmurugan, Jessie Sheimali and Tanumansa Bagrodia.

"It has been a great learning experience for us to put together this ‘empowered' collection from every part of India. We hope Dubai will enjoy this panorama of contemporary Indian art," Desai says.

Jyoti Kalsi is an arts enthusiast based in Dubai.

Empowerment: Panorama of India will run at the Gallery of Light, DUCTAC until May 1.