35 years of Gallery Espace: Collective achievement

To celebrate 35 epochal years of its existence, Gallery Espace has launched a seminal exhibition titled ‘Memory Fields’, showcasing the works of 38 eminent Indian artists who’ve been instrumental in driving the gallery’s vision and evolution.

Curator Gayatri Sinha has put together artworks by stalwarts such as MF Husain, Manjit Bawa, Nilima Sheikh, Manjunath Kamath and GR Iranna, along with creations by contemporary artists.

Interestingly, when Gallery Espace was founded by Renu Modi in 1989, its debut was marked by an exhibition of autobiographical watercolours by Husain. He is also credited with designing the gallery’s galloping horse logo, reminiscent of his seminal horse series.

On giving space to upcoming contemporary artists along with the stalwarts, Sinha shares: “The idea was to go small with larger reputations and big with the younger lot of artists, some of whom are very successful. Take, for instance, the Husain furniture drawings. These are from his personal notebook and are intimate and smaller in nature, yet reveal the hand of the master. Along with larger works by younger artists like Sudarshan Shetty and Manjunath Kamath, or Sheetal Gattani and Mekhala Bahl amongst the women artists, these form an interesting mix. The purpose is to challenge the viewers to interpret the evolution of artworks from domestic studios to heavy commercial productions. As one goes around the display, one keeps moving from these smaller to larger pieces in a pattern of sorts.”

The star of this eclectic display is Kamath’s earthy sculpture, a recreation of historical and ancient Indian nuances of bhakti rasa. The two vertical slices of the monumental sculpture depict a seated human’s back with an intricate plait on one side, with the other half facing it featuring a hand at the back.

Bawa’s works include a collection of monochromes. One can view the magnificent unfinished ‘Devi’ as well as the larger-than-life image of the monk. Known for his depiction of bulls and Lord Krishna, the monk’s black and white image seems to be an amalgamation of all his themes intrinsically linked to mythology. It compels onlookers to delve deeper within and meditate on the Sufi and spiritual aspects of this great artist’s oeuvre.

India’s master of abstract Jagdish Swaminathan occupies pride of place. Amongst his monochromes on display, the ‘Portrait of Bhawani’ from the 1950s features his wife, an example of his ability to depict feminine beauty in all its glory. His portrait of author Nirmal Verma is a gentle reminder of his command over lines and strokes.

It is enamouring to see the display veer between some hitherto unseen works of maestros to the younger lot of artists — from Amit Ambalal’s ‘Take Off’ series comprising monkey portraits in vibrant colours to Chitra Ganesh’s relief work on Okwara paper, depicting a feline figure.

Printmaker Anupam Sud dwells upon people and their physicality. The propensity could perhaps be attributed to her father’s fondness for bodybuilding. The artist’s works are also influenced by her close association with artist Somnath Hore as well as her interest in theatre, classical music, detective novels and so on. It is no surprise that her artworks revolve around humans who appear to be both majestic and yet full of mystery. For instance, her 1986 creation, ‘Dialogue IV’, features two individuals engrossed in deep conversation. It creates a sense of wonder in the minds of the audience as to what could these two be debating upon.

As gallerist Renu Modi articulates, “This exhibition explores how memory shapes our understanding of self and society, featuring work by some of India’s most distinguished contemporary artists.”

The exhibition is on view at Bikaner House, New Delhi, until December 12 and continues at Gallery Espace from December 18 to January 15.

— The writer is based in New Delhi