Beyond Boundaries

About

“Beyond Boundaries”: 
The Journey of Indian Art from Bengal School to contemporary
at Le Dame Art Gallery 10- 24 May 2018.​

Le Dame Art Gallery and Abundant Art Gallery are proud to present “Beyond Boundaries:
The Journey of Indian Art from Bengal School to contemporary”. This is a unique opportunity to experience afresh the flavour of Indian contemporary art and its present trends.

“Beyond Boundaries” showcases fifteen artists who represent not only the unbroken heritage of Indian art dating back to Mughal miniatures but also how India is responding to more global ideas in the post-modern sense.

Our selection of artists represents the widest possible form of expressions and creativity. They exhibit a vast horizon depicting reimagining of the Bengal school in Mohi Paul’s works to the abstract explorations of inner emotions by Shad Fatima. They showcase an element of sensibility, which is embedded in Indian culture and heritage with the signs of co-travelling with world art at large. Our artists play a variety of media including watercolour wash technique, acrylic and oil. There are traditional Indian motifs, mythical and historical contents as well as articulations of the artists’ inner journeys. It’s like a grand old man with a distinct cultural root stepping out into a new world full of new possibilities and potentials.

Indian Art has travelled a long way since the introduction of western methods by the British in the 19th century. British colonial rule added another important influence on art in India and led to a fusion of styles and techniques. In the early 20th century Indian identity and heritage reasserted itself with the emergence of the Bengal School of Art. With the active encouragement of British art teacher E.B. Havell (1861- 1934) Indian artists in Calcutta adopted traditional Indian ways of painting notably Mughal miniature style or folk styles such as “Kalighat”. They used indigenous techniques such as the wash method. This led to a debate about what Indian art should aim for? Historicity or embrace all international trends to reflect modern thought. Luckily contemporary Indian art has struck a balance between the two and coursed a journey which is much more reflective of India and her current position and context in the world. We see a more confident contemporary art in India today, which is distinctively Indian, yet at the same time embraces elements of global art trends.