Vividh: Multiple Expressions of Indian Art

12th to 14th June, 2015
Edwardian I & Taj Room
St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel
54 Buckingham Gate
London, SW1E 6AF
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VIVIDH
Multiple Modes Media & Manifestations of Indian Art
By Sushma K Bahl
Vividh, a word in Hindi derived from Sanskrit language means multifarious and diverse. Akin to
'vivid' as in English language, it also resonates with clarity and freshness, as indicated in the title of
the current exhibition 'Vividh: Multiple Expressions of Indian Art'. The vivid selection in a range of
genres, presents Vividh art works of high aesthetic merit by artists from across India, and
different schools of art and thought. The collection features a range of life-like and imagined
creatives in striking colours.
The vanguard collection mirrors contemporary Indian art-scape. Marked for its vast and varied
creativity, the selection includes impressionistic renditions created around the 60s and 70s by
modern legends such as Jamini Roy, FN Souza, SH Raza, and MF Husain among others who
worked in their trademark style, and the rest by younger emerging stars including Dileep Sharma
and Raghava KK who appear more daring in their choice of materials and forms. Together the two
streams appear on a shared platform in this holistic and inclusive collection. With their graphic
eloquence and colourful masterly renditions, the featured works illustrate a comprehensive
overview of contemporary Indian art of the last few decades.
Marked for duality, its ability to stay rooted and indigenous while also absorbing and assimilating
selective western and international practices, the collection engages with beauty, romantic,
utilitarian or spiritual themes besides socio-economic-political issues, ideas, encounters and life
experiences. Descriptively expressive, the creatives appear in varied media, modes moods and
manifestations as artists work across genres and in free flowing expressions rather than within
specific movements or groups. They reflect the country's enormous ethnic, linguistic,
geographical, political and cultural diversity. The spot light in collective contemporary art is on
the mindscape in some work while in others it springs from real life experiences. The artists do not
simply describe or design, they re-imagine and re-configure their ideas, dreams and encounters,
cutting across rigid stylistic boundaries.
Ranging from the personal to the public, the artists can be seen to engage with the emotional and
environmental, traversing through the socio- economic domains. There are artists from different
cultural backgrounds and regions of the country working in photographic, digital and mixed
media art that rubs shoulders with paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Jamini Roy's figuration of the pretty maids dancing their way possibly to a temple, akin to
classical sculptures, comes in bold and flat colours. It is clearly impacted by the folk arts and
Kalighat patua repertoire of his native Bengal. In another distinct vein comes the mythically
inspired and fantasy filled narratives overlaid with wit and humour in the work of artist–scholar KG
Subramanyan, be it his gouache or acrylic paintings. Bengal folklore and genres are also at play in
the work of Jayasri Burman while her contemporary Bhairavi Modi's renditions appear to draw
inspiration from Pahari and Mughal miniature painting styles. There are clear imprints of folk and
regional styles in the depiction of scenes and stories enacted by some of these artists.
Narratives surrounding life experiences in urban and rural India or those based on classical or folk
stories are at the centre stage in work of several artists including Laxma Goud, Sakti Burman, NS
Bendre and Sunil Das. Social concerns, human angst, and environmental issues are the focus in
work by artists Bhupen Khakhar and Krishen Khanna. A contrast is however offered in Suchi
Chidambaram's work as it echoes the energy of the cities, their architecture and people that she
has been associated with, be it India or the UK.
Human relationships, and feminine concerns are other threads that link up in some ways,
differently rendered work by a few of the featured artists. Satish Gujral's painting features a
couple in an entangled embrace, while the group focusing on delicate mother-child relationship
besides other themes, is led by Maya Burman and AA Raiba. Masoom Khambhayta's girl in a twirl
and lucky eve, in contrast present an overview of life coloured with emotions. Rini Dhumal takes
the female form onto a higher pedestal as an icon of Devi, a much revered and feared mythic
goddess.
An ethereal and Zen ambience comes to the fore in abstract and geometric renditions by Abhijit
Pathak, Nayan Kisnadwala, Kajoli Khanna and Ram Kumar. Senior most living artist SH Raza
renowned for his abstract work around the concept of Bindu is represented in this collection with
some of his earlier work bordering on landscapes, which are the precursors for his preoccupation
with abstraction.
Popular Indian culture has been another source of inspiration for several artists in the collection
with MF Husain who had embarked on his artistic career as a billboard painter, in the lead. This
stream has been taken forward with a touch of the Bollywood in colourfully painted imagery of
younger artists such as Dileep Sharma and Nayanaa Kanodia. Man's relationship with animals,
birds and flora-fauna is brought face to face in Gurcharan Singh, Lal Bahadur Singh and Sridhar
Poluru's rich imagery.

Artistic obsession with feminine figuration and her sensuous form, a recurrent element in master
artists Jatin Das and FN Souza's work continues to engage the interest and art scape of several
other artists. Her petite body, curvaceous figure, fulsome breasts, slender waist, nude form and
innate beauty are the playing fields in differently rendered figuration in paintings and sculptures
by Iqbal Durrani, Jahangir Hossain, Laxman Pai, LM Sen and Shanta Samanta in the ensemble.
There is a shift towards digital art, photography, multilayered, mixed media and threedimensional
forms in several younger artists' work. Award winning sculptor Alpesh P Wood's
work comes with inlaid carving. Nayan Kisnadwala, a banker by profession takes recourse to
symbolism, scriptures, colour therapy and numerology for his creatives that he sells to raise funds
for some charities. And Karan Khanna inspired by a short stint as an intern with Cartier-Bresson
gives up a career in advertising to pursue his passion for photography as illustrated in his amazing
pictures. Raghava KK listed among the ten most remarkable people in 2010 and a TED speaker,
uses his multidisciplinary expertise and engagements in combining art and technology to create
cartoons, pop-IT books, and interactive art.
Each creative in the collection of nearly 80 works by about 30 artists, adorns a distinct
appearance and in its own métier, reflective of the specific context it stems from. There is a fairly
striking change, in the work of artists of the pre-independence era and those who have emerged
on the scene during the last couple of decades. Clearly contemporary artists are free of the
political compulsions, artistic constraints and rigid formulaic patterns, as they engage more
openly and confidently with contemporary themes and events using new media and
technologies as practiced globally. The spectrum of contemporary Indian art makes an engaging
montage with elegiac tonal variations. Some of it appears realistic, others imagined, scrutinized,
magnified, or reinterpreted to evoke thoughts and emotions. The Vividh collection mirrors the
continuum of Indian art and its complex relationship with life, religion, society and politics. The
exhibition re-presents an over view of Indian art in multiple modes media and manifestations.
Sushma K. Bahl, author of 5000 Years of Indian Art besides other books, and former Head, Arts &
Culture, British Council India; is an independent arts adviser, writer and curator based in Delhi.
Recipient of British honour MBE, she is a member of the Paris based International Association of
Art Critics (AICA) and a trustee/advisory committee member of Abhyas Trust and Kala Sakshi
Trust, both in Delhi, Arts Acre Foundation in Kolkata, Harjai Global Gurukul in Mumbai, and
Florence Biennale in Italy.

A R T W O R K S

A.A. RAIBA
Untitled, 1972
36"x 26"
Oil on canvas
Mother & Child, 2002
21" x 15"
Oil on canvas

ABHIJIT PATHAK
Untitled 1, 2010
60" x 54"
Acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Untitled 2
67" x 94"
Mixed Media on Tarpaulin (diptych)

ALPESH P WOOD
Tired Mucisian, 1992
Wood sculpture
Behind the Curtain, 2001
Wood relief

BHAIRAVI MODI
Leela Series 1, 2013
72" x 48"
Acrylic on cavans
A Day before Uttrayan, 2010
36" x 24"
Oil on canvas

BHUPEN KHAKKAR
Trees,1997
15" x 11"
Water colour on paper
Untitled, 1993
21 x 15
Mixed media on paper

DILEEP SHARMA
The Angels
42" x 54"
Water colour on paper
Mahalaxmi
84" x 48"
Water colour on paper

F.N. SOUZA
The Cross, 1961
24" x 18"
Mixed media on board
Nude Woman, 1962
10" x 8"
Pen on paper

GURCHARAN SINGH
Untitled 1
10" x 12"
Oil & acrylic on canvas
Untitled 2
12" x 18"
Oil & acrylic on canvas

IQBAL DURRANI
Untitled
71" x 70"
Acrylic on canvas

JAMINI ROY
Gopini
18" x 22"
Tempera on board

JAHANGIR HOSSAIN
Lover, 2014
32" x 22"
Oil on paper
Horse & Woman, 2015
44" x 32"
Charcoal and pastel on paper

JATIN DAS
Shakti, 2006
30" x 22"
Water colour on paper
Kannadiga Hengasaru, 2004
48" x 48"
Oil on canvas

JAYASRI BURMAN
Untitled, 1989
22" x 28"
Mixed media on paper

K G SUBRAMANYAN
Untitled, 2013
26" x 21"
Gouache on paper
Untitled
24" x 18"
Acrylic on canvas

KAJOLI KHANNA
In Flames, 2010
36" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas

KARAN KHANNA
Rickshaw
17" x 24"
Digital print on art archival paper
Rajsthani Man
24" x 17"
Digital print on art archival paper

KRISHEN KHANNA
Untitled-2, 2015
24" x 16"
Oil on canvas
Untitled-1
30" x 22"
Conte on paper

L.M. SEN
Untitled
12" x 12"
Ink and wash
Nude, 1926
17" x 13"
Conte

LAL BAHADUR SINGH
God Creator
54" x 42"
Acrylic on canvas

LAXMA GOUD
Untitled
10" x 12"
Watercolour on paper

LAXMAN PAI
Sleeping Lady, 1986
12" x 19"
Ink on paper
A Lady, 1987
19" x 12"
Ink on paper

M.F. HUSAIN
Ganesh
27" x 24"
Oil on canvas
Horse, 1985
30" x 24"
Water colour on linen

MASOOM KHAMBHAYTA
Lucky Eve, 2015
24" x 60"
Foil & acrylic on canvas
Nostalgia, 2015
48" x 36"
Foil & acrylic on canvas

MAYA BURMAN
Mother & Child
18" x 48"
Water colour on paper
Sakti & Babies
32" x 32"
Water colour on paper

NAYAN KISNADWALA
Antradristhi
16" x 16"
Gouache on paper
Dhyan pushp
33" x 23"
Gouache on paper

NAYANAA KANODIA
Long Drive
20" x 16"
Oil on canvas
Bandwala, 2004
36" x 48"
Oil on canvasa

RAGHAVA KK
Wedding Procession
36" x 60"
Acrylic on canvas
Untitled-1
60" x 36"
Acrylic on canvas

RAM KUMAR
Banaras Series, 1963
33" x 50"
Oil on canvas

RINI DHUMAL
Kamadhenu, 2008
48" x 48"
Oil on canvas
Untitled-1
14" x 12"
Water colour on paper

S H RAZA
Untitled-1, 1950
14" x 17"
Water colour on paper
Untitled-2, 1979
8" x 6"
Oil & acrylic on board

SATISH GUJRAL
Untitled
24" x 24"
Acrylic on canvas

SAKTI BURMAN
Untitled
20" x 26"
Water colour on paper

SHANTA SAMANTA
Lady with a Bouquet
12”x 6”x 12”
Bronze
Lazyness
15”x 12”x 15”
Bronze

SRIDHAR POLURU
Kamdhenu, 2015
30" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas
Iravata, 2013
30" x 30"
Acrylic on canvas

SUCHI CHIDAMBARAM
London X
60" x 60"
Oil on canvas
Tower Bridge
30" x 30"
Oil on canvas

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to acknowledge and thank the
serval people for their contribution towards
Vividh exhibition.
Sushma K Bahl for breathing life into the
exhibition with her essay and description of
Vividh; Prateeq Kumar for adding colour and
form by designing the invitations and
catalogue.
Last but not least thanks to Anil Dhanak of
Kanz Jewels and St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel
for their immense support towards the
exhibition.