Pulse of the Present

In a time when the definition of art is constantly evolving, contemporary art continues to challenge and redefine traditional boundaries. The rigid definitions that once classified a work as ‘Art’ have been reshaped by the influence of the current zeitgeist, embracing a more fluid, inclusive approach.

For six years, the Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW) has celebrated this evolving spirit. The seventh edition, held at Bikaner House and concluding on September 4, highlighted the dynamic and diverse nature of contemporary art.

This event, a collaboration between six prominent Delhi-based galleries — Blueprint12, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Latitude 28, Shrine Empire, and Vadehra Art Gallery — focused on 14 artists, offering a rich blend of themes, techniques, and mediums. The best of South Asian art was on full display.

Each gallery brought its own distinct curatorial vision and artistic strengths, alongside two thematic exhibitions — ‘Threads that Bare’ and ‘A Bold Step Sideways’ — curated by Girish Shahane, a Mumbai-based writer and curator. This art-filled week provided connoisseurs, artists, scholars, students, and collectors with the chance to engage with the works, offering moments for reflection and critique. Roshni Vadehra, Director of Vadehra Art Gallery, noted, “Through this week-long curation, we bring together seasoned and new collectors from the capital and beyond under one roof.”

Material echoes

Blueprint12’s focus was on the tactile nature of materials, whether in the delicate cuts of recycled paper in Zoya Chaudhary’s works, the nuanced shades of graphite by Divyesh Undaviya, or the robust lines of woodcut prints by Anila Kumar Govindappa.

Boundless art

Exhibit 320 explored new media, with artists expanding traditional art boundaries by using unconventional materials, such as randomly-found objects and elements from nature.

The cycles of existence

The standout piece from Gallery Espace was a drawing installation by Soma Surovi Jannat, a young artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her work, ‘Time without Birth and Death’, explored the cyclical existence through motifs representing infinity and the continuity of nature.

Searching for home

Latitude 28 presented the works of Ankush Safaya, Harman Taneja, and Shalina Vichitra, which examined themes of belonging and the concept of ‘home’ within the vast urban landscape.

Sense of self

Shrine Empire’s curation featured Hema Shironi and Natasha Das, whose textile-based works addressed personal histories, regional politics, and sustainability.

Visual dialogues

Vadehra Art Gallery spotlighted painting and photography, provoking thought on contemporary South Asian culture. Their showcase included Jasmine Nilani Joseph’s drawings on property, ancestry, and displacement, Faiza Butt’s portraits, and Shailesh BR’s mixed media collages. Vadehra noted, “We are also presenting works of artists from the South Asian diaspora such as Joya Mukherjee, who will be exhibiting in India for the first time.”

Threading together

In addition to presentations by the galleries, the thematic exhibitions stood out, particularly ‘Threads that Bare’, which featured textile artists from across India. It explored the myriad possibilities of fibre and yarn as mediums for art. Art researcher Kooper Thanghal observed, “The experimentation with textile as a medium in art has been the most refreshing part of the exhibition. Abstracting the very threads of textile and engaging with them conceptually breaks away from the craft-based, conservationist, and utilitarian discourses that dominate the textile medium in India.”

While the DCAW officially concluded on September 4, parallel exhibitions continue at the participating galleries. This past week in the city offered a moment to reflect on the evolving definitions of art in contemporary times while allowing us to embrace the sensuous and materially invested art of our era.

This article is written by Prachi Satrawal