This simultaneous bang of the latest art and fashion from a clutch of India’s leading and on the rise practitioners presents a unique review of the subcontinent’s progress in merging its traditional visual culture with modernisation – and the frisson between western influence and Indian heritage, in the largest exhibition to be held at Arken to date.
he fourteen artists selected by the museum – Rina Banerjee, Hemali Bhuta, Atul Dodiya, Sheela Gowda, Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, Rashmi Kaleka, Bharti Kher, Ravinder Reddy, Vivan Sundaram and Thukral & Tagra – have been chosen for their ‘constant interaction with the global community’ and for their work which both ‘encourages and defies all our notions about Indian art’.
Displays have been arranged in thematic sections such as ‘Big City Life’, ‘The Intimate Sphere’ and ‘Local and Global’ in order to impart a more contextualised understanding of urban existence, cultural rituals, and the aspirations and tensions of India’s economic growth and cultural transition.
The private, non-profit charity space also displays some works which have been specially created for the exhibition by Jitesh Kallat and Thukral and Tagra – as well as thought-provoking installation and sound art by Bharti Kher and Rashmi Kaleka.
Amit Aggarwal, Little Shilpa, Manish Arora, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Prashant Verma, Varun Sardana and Cell DSGN make up the innovative – and first – fashion survey at Arken, as the second part of INDIA: NOW showcase.
The variety of methods and textiles present a stimulating, vibrant display of these designer’s bold explorations of traditional Indian craftsmanship realised through increasingly challenging, conceptual designs.
Both exhibitions are part of Arken’s project India Today – Copenhagen Tomorrow; an initiative which seeks to engage an exchange of culture, science and trade between the two countries.
