Asia Society kicks off month-long art exhibition

Mumbai, Jan 9: The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)and Asia Society India Centre (ASIC) began a month-long international exhibition of contemporary Indian art, a decade-long perspective on visual practices in India, co-organized by Asia Society and the Art Gallery of Western Australia here last evening.

The month-long exhibition being organised at the NGMA under the theme 'Edge of Desire; Recent Art in India' displays 80 works of sculpture, painting, drawing, video and interactive media from 1993 to the present day.

According to ASIC President Vishakha N Desai, ''''Edge of Desire'' created by Chaitanya Sambrani of Australian National University (ANU), Canberra reflects contemporary Indian socoiety's constantly shifting experiences of caste alliances, class structures, and global trends in localised settings''.

The 34 artists and two collectives being represented at the ongoing exhibition came from all around India, from the metropolises of Delhi and Mumbai to the rural regions of Kondagaon and Midnapur, embodying a wide range of generational and social contexts.

Bunty Chand, Executive Director, ASIC said ''Edge of Desire is a signature art event that marks the opening of the ASIC. The exhibition is first in a series of international art and cultural events that we will bring to audiences in South Asia''.

According to Prof Rajeev Lochan, Diretcor of NGMA, ''In recent years, Indian Contemporary art has found its due recognition on the international stage. By bringing this highly acclaimed exhibition to India, the NGMA hopes to facilitate a meaningful engagement between artists and their works''.

ASIC was inagurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in March 2006 is a forum for inter-Asian and US connections and exchange.

UNI