The India Pavilion presentation Our Time for a Future Caring at the 58th International Art Exhibition –
La biennale di Venezia opens to the public on 11 May 2019.
Our Time for a Future Caring, a group exhibition curated by Roobina Karode, Director and Chief
Curator at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, critically engages with the figure and philosophies of
Mahatma Gandhi, reflecting on his enduring impact and the contemporary relevance of his ideals.
Gandhi acts as focal point for different artistic interpretations, delving into broader issues of India’s
history and nationhood, as well more conceptual investigations into notions of freedom, nonviolence,
action and agency. The exhibition forms part of India’s celebrations of ‘150 years of Gandhi’ and
showcases artworks spanning from the twentieth century to the present day by Nandalal Bose, MF
Husain, Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, Ashim Purkayastha, Shakuntala Kulkarni, Rummana
Hussain and GR Iranna.
A landmark partnership between India’s public and private sectors has enabled India’s second
national participation at the Biennale Arte 2019. The Pavilion was organized by the India Ministry of
Culture with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Kiran Nadar Museum of Art is the
Principal Partner and Curator, the Director General of the National Gallery of Modern Art is the
Commissioner of the project.
Our Time for a Future Caring offers an opportunity to explore the rich artistic production that has
occurred in India in response to Gandhi. The exhibition begins with the Haripura Panels by Nandalal
Bose, an Indian ‘National Treasure artist’. The Haripura Panels were commissioned by Gandhi in
1938, to provide art which was accessible to the public and represented everyday life in India, with
portrayals ranging from artisans to musicians, labourers and housewives. The work represents
Gandhi’s conversations with Bose and his direct engagement with art, to showcase his ideals. The
Haripura Panels are on display in Europe for the first time, on loan from the National Gallery of
Modern Art.
In Zamin (1955) MF Husain conceptually represents Gandhi’s village republics, with subject matter
that continues from Bose but uses a modern idiom. The painting was produced at a moment when
hope for a new nation was still intact and when artwork focused on the secular, featuring peasants,
the laborer, the rural, the artisan and the indigenous. This piece shows how deeply Husain was
thinking about the idea of nation and the multiple languages, religious and social practices that
uniquely go into it, perhaps alluding to Gandhi’s plea for ‘unity in diversity’.
Atul Dodiya has explored Mahatma Gandhi as a subject throughout the last 20 years of his practice,
referring to him as an ‘artist of nonviolence’, probing the aesthetic qualities of his public image and
legacy. Broken Branches (2002) features exact replicas of the wooden cabinets used to display relics
and memorabilia in the Gandhi memorial Museum in Porbander. These cabinets weave together the
personal and political, filled with objects and photographs, disassembled traces of Dodiya’s own life
and experiences.
Covering Letter (2012), Jitish Kallat’s poignant, immersive video installation invites visitors to step
into a forgotten moment in history, a letter sent from Gandhi to Hitler, projected onto fog. The letter
sent before the start of the Second World War is addressed ‘Dear Friend’ and in revisiting this
historical document, Kallat reflects on the possibilities of peace and tolerance in a world plagued by
violence and like Dodiya, the traces Gandhi has left behind. This work is on display in Europe for the
first time.
Ashim Purakyastha puts the iconography of Gandhi under a critical lens, his series of postage
stamps exploring the meanings of these popular images, which are both monumental and intimate.
Untitled (2019) is also included in the exhibition, comprised of paintings and sculptures of stones.
Engaging with broader themes and ideas, which hold synergies with Gandhi’s ideals, Our Time for a
Future Caring features sculptures, photographs and accessories from Shakuntala Kulkarni’s project
Of Bodies and Cages (2010-2012). The wearable sculpture and photo-performances investigates
ideas of freedom and non-violence, particularly for women in public spaces. The armor, inspired by
warriors and kings, when adapted to a woman represents power and vulnerability. Kulkani worked
closely with a local artisan to master this traditional Indian craft, learning to use bamboo cane as a
material.
Rummana Hussain, Fragments (1993) also features traditional materials from India, terracotta, earth
pigments and charcoal. As with other artworks in the exhibition, the installation of shards of broken
pots explores action and agency, inspired by Husain’s experiences of violence and intolerance.
Hussain’s works were ephemeral in nature, and many have not been preserved, making them even
more precious today.
Panic Garden (2014) an installation by GR Iranna evokes the idea of walking as a performative
action, practical but also meditative and spiritual. The installation of padukas, a cheap and traditional
wooden footwear, recalls Gandhi, who used to walk twenty miles each day.
Situated in a new location in the historic Arsenale, the India Pavilion is designed to be a meditative
space for visitors and create an environment in which new connections and unexpected encounters
can be made. The exhibition is accompanied by an English-language catalogue, which includes
contributions by Roobina Karode, Curator, Kiran Nadar, Founder and Chairperson of Kiran Nadar
Museum of Art, Tarana Sawhney, Chair of Art and Culture taskforce, CII and Shri Adwaita Chavan
Gadanayak, Director General, National Gallery of Modern Art