International exhibition showcases a taste of India

Spike Mountjoy ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 08/02/2008 12:38 PM  |  Arts & Design

Ever felt like walking home with a painting from an international art show? Well now is your chance.

An eclectic showcase of work from 50 painters across India is currently on display at Jakarta's Taman Ismail Marzuki -- and every piece is for sale.

The show, titled "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity), was organized and curated by Ajit Vahadane of the Indian Artists Network.

"If somebody is so keen on buying (a piece) we can allow them to take it -- one painting has already been sold like that," says Vahadane, adding he would prefer to see the paintings stay up throughout the show.

Vahadane handpicked the paintings from 400 artworks submitted from a pool of 5,000 artists throughout India; each successful in their own right but mostly unknown off the subcontinent.

Packed onto the white walls of Gallery Cipta II, the works jump from accomplished impressionist watercolor, to raw abstract expressionism, to surrealism, to symbolism, to every kind of art "ism" of the last 150 years.

The work is as diverse as modern painting itself. And that is the show's best and worst feature.

As Vahadane says, "There's something for everyone", but unlike the show's title, there is very little unity in the diversity.

In one picture a sinewy raw Spiderman sits crest-fallen on a rock in the ocean, a work clearly influenced by western popular culture and, possibly, the symbolism of 20th century French surrealists.

Step two paces to the left and in front of you is a roughly rendered painting of women in traditional costume, and next to that is a giant exploding abstraction reminiscent of American art heroes Jackson Pollack and Jasper Johns.

These are original and interesting paintings, but they have nothing to do with each other, other than all being painted in India.

The lack of context is a lost opportunity. There is no useful information immediately available other than the artist's name and the painting's title.

Few people want to be told what a painting "means" but sometimes an artist's statement coaxes the viewer outside their comfort zone, or helps them to engage with the work on a different level -- to understand something more about where the artist was coming from.

This can mean the difference between looking at the painting on a purely aesthetic level, and diving into a world of ideas at play, and the struggle of the artist to communicate something about their reality.

But this lack of context is also refreshing and, perhaps, in keeping with part of the Indian Artists Network philosophy: "If you love art then look at the art and not the signature".

Vahadane writes that the show's title, which is also Indonesia's national motto, "is absolutely the same" as the ancient Sanskrit phrase "Vasudhauva Kutumbakam" which means "The world is one single family".

"It should remain the guiding principle for all creative artists all around the world", he explains.

This philosophy could be used as a lens through which to view the exhibition, the 8th exhibition the Indian Artists Network has held in Jakarta, and it is certainly how the exhibition is being presented to the media, but one wonders how strongly this is felt by the artists who contributed to the show.

i-box

Bhinneka Tunggal Ika exhibition Runs until Aug. 5, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Galeri Cipta II Taman Ismail Marzuki Jl. Cikini Raya, Central Jakarta Admission is free.x

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.