It is billed to be an epochal moment in the Indian art history. For, the Chivas Art Experience, scheduled to kick off at ITC Windsor Sheraton on August 11 at 8 pm, is not merely another exhibition showcasing the Indian art world in all its aesthetic splendour. It promises to be one of those rare moments on the art scene when the very concept of art will be redefined and refined.
Talking of which, takes us to the invitation — grand and stylish. The invitation came in a huge black box with names of the participating artists printed on it. When opened, it contained the invite with details of the show and photographs of the art works of some of the artists on glossy paper. As good as getting a print itself! Then, there was a paint brush and a set of small paint tubes, each wrapped in paper that had a copy of the art work. Truly, the invitation was a work of art in itself and the envy of those who didn’t receive one!
Chivas Art Experience will bring together both the old and new practitioners of art in the country to present an art that's challenging and provocative. The artists who’ve signed up for the Chivas experience are K Muralidharan, Jayashree Chakravarty, Mithu Sen, Paritosh Sen, Yusuf Arakkal, Lalu Prasad Shaw and M F Husain to mention a few.
The leitmotif on the occasion will be three trends — tales, constructs and reflections. "These three are the central themes. It represents three major trends of art in India today. Indian art in the past was essentially all about narration. The tradition of telling tales, in lines as well as in colours, continues among artists today, but with a significant difference. Artists narrate today without geo-specific limitations of communication and in doing so develop a pictorial vocabulary in his thinking style that stress on visual expressiveness," explains Arun Ghose, curator of the show.
Arun says that all artists at the show are evaluated based on the originality of their art and style. "All art work is evaluated on the strength of the art. It is the originality that counts. When this compulsion exists artists are forced to develop their own style of constructing lines and colours," he explains.
About photography and its influence on artists to produce original works when any art can be captured with the camera, Arun says: "The search for an artist's expression of feelings instead of narrating tales borrowed from literature became the primary concern for the artists.”
“Forms and feelings became almost inseparable as artists sought to imitate nature but to use objects from nature as well as human forms to convey their feelings” and adds, “we need art to help artists come out with something original and creative.”
Of the participant-artists in the Chivas show, Arun says each of them has used figures as a symbol of expression to express something that is more universal in nature. While art and science, contemporary humour and futuristic technology and aesthetics of human drama lends an equitable dimension to his work, K Muralidharan delves into ancient texts to enrich his knowledge of Indian ichnography.
All the artists will also be paintings live on a canvas during the show. Entry by invitation only.
