Ekkhan Explores History in a Global Discourse

Emami Art brings a new group exhibition, ‘Ekkhan: Situating the Present.’ This exhibition brings together the recent works of ten renowned artists from Bengal, exploring the intersection of place, culture, and imagination in contemporary art. The exhibition which began on 7th September will be on view till 26th October 2024 from 11 AM to 7 PM.

Ekkhaṇ is about the relationship between place, culture and imagination, but, at the same time, it is also about continuity and disjunction, dialogue and connection, articulation and exploration, giving contemporary Bengal art its plural, malleable and multi-dimensional identity.  

This exhibition will bring together the recent works by ten artists from Bengal – Aditya Basak, Chandra  Bhattacharjee, Chhatrapati Dutta, Goutam Chowdhury, Jayashree Chakravarty, Partha Dasgupta, Subrata  Biswas, Srikanta Paul, Tapas Biswas, and Veena Bhargava – aiming to chart the diverse directions of their practices. Instead of basing the show on any specific theme, it focuses on how the artists from Bengal today, while responding to their place and history, engage themselves in the broader, rapidly changing global discourse of contemporary art. 

Throughout the exhibition, a dynamic collection of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works that highlight the plurality and diversity of Bengal art can be encountered. The show will showcase the artists, who, though different from each other in their approaches, styles and  medium use, have long been persistently working towards developing a highly distinct visual language relevant to today’s social, cultural and political atmosphere and experiences.  

Richa Agarwal, CEO of Emami Art talks about the exhibits, “In the last few decades, the art practices of Bengal have entered a new phase. This exhibition, which showcases  the recent works of ten well-known artists from Bengal, aims to map regional art practices’ changing directions  and attitudes. What is significant is how the artists, despite their differences in medium use, style, and  approaches, create a language that, while establishing continuity with the past, also departs from regional  modernism to embrace contemporary global discourses. Art lovers, critics, and students will find the show exciting and worthy of critical  discussion.”

About Emami Art

Emami Art is a leading Indian contemporary art gallery and a platform for cultural production. Established in 2017 in Kolkata, Emami Art represents emerging, mid-career and established artists and organises a dynamic programme of exhibitions and public seminars. Since its inception, the gallery has curated and hosted intimate and large-scale exhibitions and regularly participates in national and international art fairs and conferences.

Image Courtesy – Emami Art

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