Vadehra Art Gallery’s ‘A Show of Hands’ Pays Tribute to Gieve Patel 

Vadehra Art Gallery’s Newest Group Show

Vadehra Art Gallery is set to present a special exhibition, titled, ‘A Show of Hands,’ to be held in memoriam of beloved artist Gieve Patel, curated by Ranjit Hoskote. The exhibition – featuring a collection of works by artists Aditi Singh, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Areez Katki, Biraaj Dodiya, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Jitish Kallat, Mahesh Baliga, Nilima Sheikh, Ranbir Kaleka, Ratheesh T., Sudhir Patwardhan and Sujith S.N. – will be on view across both their modern and contemporary gallery spaces, from the date of the preview, 21 November 2024 to 10 January 2025. 

Gieve Patel and His Significance in ‘A Show of Hands’

A celebrated cornerstone of the Indian art community, Gieve Patel passed away in 2023. His oeuvre exemplified a passionate concern for the psychological complexities of the subaltern human condition, surviving their indistinct everydayness and emerging resilient in the face of hardship, inequality and violence. Patel’s compositions ascribe a narrative depth to observed realities in a steadily modernizing post-colonial India, particularly around his home city of Mumbai articulated in charged arrangements of imbued forms, performative actions and emotional consequences that invoke the reactive underbelly of cultural strife. 

What Can You Expect At ‘ A Show of Hands’?

In the exhibition ‘A Show of Hands,’ curator Ranjit Hoskote sets out to honour Gieve Patel’s vibrant legacy as an artist, poet and playwright by bringing together a diverse cohort of artists who either formed Gieve’s inner circle,  engaged with his artistic sensibilities, or in whose work he displayed a sustained interest. Hoskote shares: “The  exhibition is titled A Show of Hands – this image bringing to mind both an affirmative vote and, more literally, an  assembly of diverse styles and media that are, nevertheless, united in their connection with Gieve.” 

In paying tribute to Gieve’s life and work, the participating artists at Vadehra Art Gallery gather ideas and postulate themes that the artist held close as influences at a conceptual and painterly level, including the vulnerability of the human subject;  philosophies on mortality and its representation through the image; the reflexive relationship between a cultivated consciousness and an infinite world of sensations and experiences; investigating and bearing witness to otherness;  the persistence of art historical references; and the dialogue between figuration and abstraction, among others. 

About Ranjit Hoskote

Ranjit Hoskote is a poet, cultural theorist, translator and curator. His collections of poetry include Vanishing Acts:  New & Selected Poems 1985-2005 (2006), Central Time (2014), Jonahwhale (2018), Hunchprose (2021), and  Icelight (2023). He is the author of To Break and To Branch  (2024), a book of essays on the painter Gieve Patel. Hoskote curated India’s first-ever national pavilion at the  Venice Biennale (2011). Since 1993, he has curated numerous exhibitions of visual art, both in India and internationally at Mumbai, Delhi, Doha, and Goa. 

Ranjit Hoskote served on the jury of the 2015 Venice Biennale and is a member of the founding advisory board of the Bergen Assembly, Norway. 

About Vadehra Art Gallery

Representing a roster of artists across four generations, Vadehra Art Gallery was established in 1987.  The gallery’s programming takes the form of carefully curated and frequent exhibitions at two prominent locations in Delhi,  alongside art events, engaging conversations and a growing digital platform. The gallery continues to present curated projects at prestigious art fairs and institutional venues globally. They ventured into publishing in 1996, producing literature on ongoing exhibitions and artist projects.

Image: Sudhir Patwardhan’s, ‘Marine Drive‘, 2024, oil on canvas, 36 x 60 in. Courtesy – Vadehra Art Gallery

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