Monsoon Sale of Art Amalgamation: An exhibition showcasing art from all around India

The Monsoon Sale of Art Amalgamation features an eclectic bunch of visual artworks, spread over various mediums, styles and generations. Here’s a sneak peek into a brief documentation of India’s art history at the exhibition.

A unique and eclectic exhibition Monsoon Sale of Art Amalgamation curated by Giriraj Kadia, brings us a collection of paintings and artworks that showcases the versatility of India’s art scene. The exhibition was inaugurated on Tuesday, September 3^rd at Herwitz Art Gallery at Amdavad ni Gufa. From traditional to contemporary artists and from pichhwai to collage, the exhibition has it all.

The idea for it was conceptualized about two months ago. Giriraj had a desire to present a diverse exhibition that could educate people about the different varieties of art forms that are practised by Indian artists today. For this, he handpicked more than 100 art installations from all around the country. The collection, as displayed today, includes works by famous contemporary artists like Amit Ambalal, Babu Xavier and Nabibakhsh Mansoori, works of Piraji Sagara along with detailed etchings by Jayshree Burman and Shuvaprasanna as well as beautiful serigraphs of Shakti Burman. It also has a serigraph by MF Husain, a rather symbolic representation, to justify the modern era of art in India.

Moreover, the exhibition also comprises interesting collages, sculptures and movie posters. While observing hand-made posters of Johny Mera Naam (1970) and Trishul (1978), Kadia told us that even these artworks are relics of our artistic heritage. Artists used to paint these posters to communicate the crux of an entire movie through them.

Kadia’s objective for the exhibition was to bring together different art galleries and present a collaborated art show that would feature pieces from various art preferences. He shared:

“Individual galleries have a limitation to work with and have access to limited artists, and that gives them a precise selection. Every curator will have his/her specific taste in terms of art [that are reflected in the shows curated by them]. The variety that you can get with their collaboration is what you are seeing now”.

Apart from showcasing different art styles, the exhibition also documents the transformation of different artists. For example, the exhibition has paintings made by Vrindavan Solanki that date back to 1981, along with his art piece made in 2013. Not just that. With the collection of artworks ranging across different generations, one can explore the changing and developing art styles of Indian artists. You can witness the earlier ink paintings by Piraji Sagara made in early 80’s as well as observe the present-day interpretation of same medium by young artists like Heeral Trivedi, Manish Modi and Praveen Hatwar. On the other hand there is an array of oleographs from the Raja Ravi Verma collection, that marks the beginning of modern era in Indian art.

While discussing the importance of showcasing these artworks, Kadia left us with an interesting observation, “What is history?” he says. “The past in the present becomes history. What we are observing now will become history after, let’s say, 100 years. If we preserve our present very well, make people appreciate it, we are making sure that it is not lost in the future’s history. If you bring a 100-year old lock right now, it will be an antique. But it was just a lock back then. The fact that it has survived so many years and it was preserved well has given it importance; it has a story that has value. The same goes for art.”

The exhibition will last till the 8^th of September, open between 4 – 8 p.m. so make sure that you witness the lovely collection—the making of our artistic history—before it’s too late.