To salute 60 years of independence of India, a group show was held at Alliance Francaise de Delhi called ‘Independent India– An art show of the new era artist’. 

Portraying the works of artists who were born after Independence, the show exhibited paintings of Anand Roy Banerjee, Asit Kumar Patnaik, Dinesh Ram, George Martin, Gurdeep, Kamna Pushkale, Kanta Jaiswal, Kavita Nayar, Krishnendu Porel, Manish Puskhale, Namita Malik, Subrata Kundu, Partha Shaw, Pratul Dash, R Palaniappan, S Harishwardhan, Samit Das, Sanathan Dinda, Sangeeta Gupta, Seema Kohli, Siraj Saxena, Suman Roy, Tapan Dash, Vilas Kulkarni, Nupur Kundu and Vivek Sharma. The show was curated by well-known art curator Poonam Sarin.

All the artists, young in age but established names in their chosen medium of art, have portrayed their interpretation of modern independent India. For instance Seema Kohli’s series titled – ‘The Golden Womb’ (mixed media on canvas) put across her perception of freedom through spiritualism.

Her canvas celebrated freedom not only of the creation but also from human bondage and inner suffering.
If spiritualism was Seema Kohli’s forte, it was all pervading issue of urbanisation that lights up Samit Das’s with a portrayal of cities and dynamic development within the country.

On the contrary, George Martin’s work (acrylic on canvas) reflects the urban impasse. The work elucidated the never ending desires of a human being.  Kavitha Nayar’s work titled woven dreams (acrylic on canvas) interpreted the common man’s dreams of independence, peace and sublime.

All the participating artists kept their commitment to the world of art. The paintings by 25 artists clearly reflected their passion for art and their desire to give messages to the people of this country.

Exclusive for each artists, yet common at same level, all work lend substance to the theme of the show – Independent India – an art show by new era artists. It was the pursuit of a common creative goal that had helped the artists came up with a powerful ensemble.

The aim of the show is to encourage young artists to pursue the art practices and to develop an independent way of addressing issues like our struggle for independence through their works. The effort also facilitated a public interface and developments in contemporary Indian art.

The quality of the paintings, each one of them exhibited was so high and the concerns they evolved was so genuine. The message that came across was, while people tore down the social structures of the past, a vision was required to effect a change that would carry society forward.

The paintings have well matched combination of colours that leaves a lasting impression on the viewers. Alliance Francaise should be complemented for proving a platform to eminent as well as upcoming artists to showcase their work of art.