Date – 16th to 24th July,2024
Venue – Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
Description :
At Mumbai’s iconic Jehangir Art Gallery, Bespoke Art Gallery (Ahmedabad) presents ‘VOICES ‘, a compelling group exhibition featuring 26 Indian and international artists who challenge, reimagine, and transform conventional modes of artistic expression. Curated by art historian and critic Uma Nair, the exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and mixed media works that delve into themes of identity, mythology, climate, tradition, conflict, and culture.
From mural traditions to modernist abstraction, VOICES brings together a bold and diverse array of contemporary artistic voices. Two panoramic works emerge as powerful markers of memory and meaning. Arpitha Reddy, trained in the mural temple tradition of Guruvayoor, Kerala, offers a compelling interpretation of the Dashavataras the ten incarnations of Lord Vishn through a series of vertical studies that honour both tradition and technique. Muzaffar Ali, India’s celebrated film director and artist, showcases Hoshruba, a landmark horizontal composition first exhibited in Delhi three years ago. Horses, long his muse and metaphor, come alive in this lyrical work that pulses with poetic energy. He also presents two striking calligraphic pieces from his solo show in Delhi last year, curated by Uma Nair.
“The medley of mediums and minds in this exhibition reflects our intent to generate global synergy through art—encouraging dialogue, discovery, and deeper support for artists and their ecosystems,”
— Uma Nair, Curator
Curator’s Note
Inner Search in Every Artist
There is an inner search in every artist for finding the “significance between tradition and contemporaneity, between representation and abstraction, between communication and expression,” said Jagdish Swaminathan and therein lies the root of all eclecticism in art.
This exhibition VOICES is about celebrating creative expression amongst artistic voices from India as well as countries like Spain, Australia, UK, and Uzbekistan.
Within the multiple mediums of works, we see an unfolding of personality. At best a work of art could hinge on the representational, the abstract, the figurative as well as non-figurative. In its odyssey of creation, it is at once unique and sufficient unto itself. It is the creative act that makes it palpable so that it generates its own life. Each artist translates an experience, a feeling, an idea as well as an organisation of forms in space.
These images by 26 artists define their own space, their understanding of delineation, their perspectives of colour and composition. Their works must be experienced by viewers seeking their own utopia within the historic Jehangir Art Gallery.
For Bespoke Art Gallery from Ahmedabad, VOICES is a veritable debut that seeks to explore the beauty of the city of Mumbai and its artistic resonance.
Additional Highlights from the Exhibition
- Bhajju Shyam’slayered Gond narratives
- Ankon Mitra’spoetic origami installation
- Sculptures by Arzan Khambattaand Harsha Durugadda
International works from the collection of Bespoke Art Gallery founder Devin Gawarvala, including:
- Timur D’Vatz’smythical tapestries (Guinness Prize winner at the Royal Academy)
- Bobur Ismailov’sabstract figurative works
- Powerful bronzes by Jesús Curia
- Iconic sculptures by renowned artist duo Gillie & Marc
Participating Artists
Ankon Mitra, Arijoy Bhattacharya, Arpitha Reddy, Arun Kumar Hg, Arun Pandit, Arzan Khambatta, Bhajju Shyam, Bobur Ismailov, Gillie & Marc, Harsha Durugadda, Jesús Curia, Karl Antao, Keshari Nandan, Leena Batra, M. Narayan, Madan Lal, Muzaffar Ali, Nilesh Vede, Ram Kumar Manna, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Saraswati Auroville, Saroj Kumar Singh, Sudip Roy, Timur D’vatz, Vipul Kumar, Walera Martynchyk.
