A show by Sahmat takes a stand on democratic principles
Melting Lotus. But there is more to them than meets the eye. In a cheeky aside, the artist has placed a circular hot plate on a wooden stand into which visitors can toss the flowers and see them melt.
The work opens itself up to a myriad interpretations. This work forms part of Moments in Collapse, a show mounted at Jawahar Bhawan by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (Sahmat), an organisation committed to promoting the pluralistic culture of the subcontinent. Curated by artist Gigi Scaria, the show brings together 44 artists and over 80 artworks.
In the making for nearly a year, Scaria worked closely with artists Aban Raza and Virendra S. Vij to organise the exhibition. As the title suggests, the overarching theme of the show is the notion of time.
But Scaria decided to eschew a linear reading of time and the emphasis on a gradual progress to a better world. As the curatorial note mentions, “There is a common notion among the people that addressing many areas of civil rights and discrimination against caste and class are redundant topics in a globally emergent superpower such as India. Linearity demands that we must only focus on the development agenda and work towards making our nation a superpower," adding “But we may differ from this by saying that while development is crucial, understanding the nuance of democratic principles within the concept of development is even more crucial." Also read: A unique collaborative exhibition to celebrate 10 years of Tarq While some of the artists have handed in existing works, others have made them especially in response to the curatorial brief.
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