The multi-artist exhibition, Trans-formative Vision, at Gallery Threshold, New Delhi, curated by Yashodhara Dalmia, brings together celebrated Indian voices in the field of portraiture and figurative art. Drawing from existing traditions, artists reimagine the human body and face to reflect modern realities and their personal styles and experiences. Retaining the root character of ‘figurative,’ the works experiment with a range of mediums -- from radiographs by Anindita Bhattacharya, layered with drawings and incisions on paper, to Shanti Swaroopini’s anomalistic combination of paper pulp and bronze, and Mithu Sen’s adroit draughtsmanship combined with colour washes on paper.
In her selections and arrangements for the show, Dalmia highlights the strength and timelessness captured by artists in their depiction of the still and mobile human visage. V. Ramesh focuses on the primacy of wisdom over beauty. His painting, “Karaikal Amma,” depicts the 5th-century-CE Bhakti saint and poetess as a stark, supplicating skeletal figure emerging from a flesh and blood form, in a moving contemplation of existence and mortality. In his tribute to this early icon of Tamil literature, who shed beauty and materiality for an austere life dedicated to writing and reciting in praise of Shiva, V. Ramesh weaves in translated extracts from her poems as “supplementary and not ornamental to the reading of the painting.”
Benitha Perciyal’s body of work, similarly inclined to the realm of spirituality, attests to the impermanence of the body and its relationship with faith and nature. She creates her sculptures with perishable ritual materials. In “The Earth is Our Only Home,” Perciyal sculpts the figures of lions with kadukkai (Myrobalam seed), sand, limestone, hydrated lime, copper, red bricks, rosewood and rosewater. These anthropomorphic creatures, with gaping mouths and heavy eyelids, represent vigilance and inner strength, and exude a powerful, human-like essence.
In the second room, a condensed corner features a simple yet dramatized painting by Jogen Chowdhury, called “Woman Relaxing,” which shows a figure at leisure, with “strong yet fluid outlines that create a sense of caricature.” On the other hand, Thota Vaikuntam’s work celebrates the human body through close attention to detail, many of which are borrowed from his upbringing in rural Telangana. This is evident in his painting of two women: bereft of a complex background, the entire focus here is on the physicality and flamboyance of the central figures. Vaikuntam’s vibrant palette (strictly comprising of primary colours) and his skills as a painter render these women larger than life in their bright Sircilla sarees, vermillion bindis, conspicuous foreheads, hair ornaments and statuesque postures. The more radical interpretations of gender come through in the practice of Mithu Sen, who constantly challenges social constructs and pre-systemized hierarchies to embrace valorous new identities.
The exhibition also includes sculptures by Manjunath Kamath. Kamath, a master of many mediums, creates an intricate terracotta piece, called “Extended Tale,” composed of distinct fragments from different regions of India, symbolizing the unfolding of history in a continuous, linear motion. The narrow, undefined figure, like a draped Gandhara-style Buddha, appears to be clothed but has no head, probably exemplifying the capacity of history to expand indefinitely.
Moving from the historical to the present day, the exhibition brings in Rameshwar Broota. The artist comments on socio-political disparities, exploring the rich and power-hungry as well as the struggling working class. As a counter to his Ape series from the 1970s -- which shows gigantic, ape-like, overfed men, who represent the power-hungry, exploitative nature of capitalism -- the painting on display, titled “The Barking Shadow,” turns to the “gaunt and labouring men on the streets.” Broota closely interrogates the male form, contrasting light and dark to present a textured surface with shadows. Social realities and urban complexities are also the themes of Sudhir Patwardhan’s works, where figurative art meets expressionism. His men and women are marked by a mix of vulnerability, grit and resilience. “Hospital,” which looks at the anatomical form of a man attended to by a nurse, is at once full of pathos, but also conveys the strength and endurance of the patient.
Trans-formative Vision stands testimony to the lingering impact of figurative depictions within modern and contemporary Indian art. Against the plural and ever-changing backdrop of the country’s landscapes and communities, the show emphasizes the resilience of the human form. Apart from physical manifestations, mostly visible in the works of Bhattacharya and Kamath, the curation successfully unpacks the social systems, disparities and hopes that shape this field of representations.
The exhibition was on display at Gallery Threshold, New Delhi, from November 6, 2024, until December 14, 2024.