Etched in memory
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Revisualising India is a show that aims to make the public aware of the country's visual art heritage.
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A WALK DOWN HISTORY One of the exhibits displayed at the show Revisualising India, currently at Rabindra Bhawan.
At a time when the year1857 is creating news in the media and cine world, it is being talked about in another nook of the city, albeit in a different context. History has it that in 39 frames, photographer Felice Beato chronicled the aftermath of the Revolt of 1857 in Delhi, recording the plight of the city dwellers and their resilience. And so if you chance upon the Qutb Minar or Humayun's Tomb, be sure they have not been captured on film in awe of their architectural beauty, more likely to document them as places where the common folk and the emperor himself sought refuge. Tidbits such as these and an overwhelming number of sepia tinted pictures are part of an archival exhibit titled Revisualising India, currently on show at Rabindra Bhawan.
Documentation is the key word here. From rare navigational maps that define the Indian coastline, aerial views of town planning in Cochin to drawings of the British troops taking Tipu Sultan's boys as hostages, this exhibition traverses the history of Indian engravings, prints, etchings and photographs and carries it forward to include Indian modern art. Many frames are dedicated to Tipu, his forts, his family and finally his defeat. Why him?
"Tipu was a cult figure. The British were fascinated by him and sponsored art related to him," says Neville Tulli of Osian that is hosting this show. While in a picture made by the English, Tipu's two sons are shown as grown young men, capable of handling their swords (a fact that would go down well with the English populace), in another rendering of the same theme, the boys are shown as mere children being taken away from their mother. These distortions in history add an interesting flavour to the exhibit.
Evolving symbolism
With the introduction of the technique of lithography in the first quarter of the 19th Century, it became widely used for the production of posters of nationalism, cinema and advertisements. It is not uncommon for ads that promote baby formula to employ babies as look-alikes of Krishna. Krishna sells. Later, Gods and their ilk are replaced by celluloid figures, so that Hema Malini and Rekha become the new demi-goddesses. The power and mystique of cinema is on display.
"For too long we have taken these works for granted, but they form a part of our heritage. They need to be reintroduced to the people," says Tulli, who is passionate about "energising the public of our heritage."
At the entrance are two works of profound art by sculptor Radhakrishnan. The male and female are the artist's alter egos, through whom he perceives and narrates his sensibilities. The contemporary art section on the second floor begins with works by Abanindranath Tagore, Chitroprasad Bhattacharya and culminates with works by the present generation.
Even as the number of exhibits is generous - there are1,300 works mounted on the walls - the purpose of this exhibition is to walk down the lanes of our history and be assured of our own identity.The exhibition closes on September 2.
SUNANDA KHANNA
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Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
