Conversation in colour

“A work of art is a confession”
                          ~ Albert Camus

Ganges Art Gallery is proud to present an art exhibition curated by the honourable Jogen Chowdhury, an institution unto himself. The show brings together under the same roof, the paintings of ten gifted and accomplished artists - Amitava Das, Mona Rai, Adip Dutta, Tanmoy Samanta, Mahula Ghosh, Jayashree Chakravarty, Baiju Parthan, Manisha Gera Baswani, Ashim Purkayastha and Debnath Basu.

Albert Camus had once commented, “Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better.” There could perhaps be nothing more apt than this wise quip, about the present show. Jogen Chowdhury has not only made a name for himself as one of the foremost representatives of modern art in Inida and beyond, but has also proved, time and again that a true artist possesses magnanimity and farsightedness enough to let art blossom without boundaries of any sort. In his pursuit to put together this show, thus, he brought together artists with no stipulated chords to bind them into any sort of forced unity. He does not believe in pedantic art or to use art as a mechanical instrument that necessarily must conform to rules. In that sense, because he is such a maestro himself, he understands the pressing need for freedom of artistic articulation, beyond the so-called authority of the curator.

But he has the discerning eyes only true connoisseurs are blessed with – reason why, he has brought together ten artists with very different artistic politics, visions and approaches in one show and has left it up to the viewer to find a thread – if any; or even better still, to appreciate individual artists and their voices for their own sake. These artists, drawn from different parts of the nation have used lines and colours to primarily enforce a dialogue with themselves – a monologue, if one may so will. These are results of intimate conversations with the self, almost like reflective confessions or prayers that the viewer is suddenly in confrontation with. Does he/she empathise with these voices? Does he feel distant? Does it strike a chord? All these are crucial questions that may be raised in course of the show – as multiple talents come together to create, not a discordant note, but a cornucopia, crafted under the sagacious watch of the master curator.

 Paroma Maiti