A certain idea of India 

A major exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris is giving a peep into the Indian society
through the eyes of Indian and French artists, writes Vandana Shukla

Devi and the Sink by Atul Dodiya. From “Saptapadi: Scenes from Marriage (Regardless)”, 2004-2006. Enamel and varnish and acrylic epoxy on laminate. Collection Mr & Mrs Drake Brockman. Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi La Sainte Famille (version II) by Pierre et Gilles, 1991-2007 Models: Nina Hagen, Franck, Otis unique hand-painted photograph with frame, 96.5 x 72.7 cm. Lent by Pierre et Gilles, Paris ORLAN’s model for project to hybridise Indian and French flags (awaiting title), 2010. Metal sequins and nails on wood panel. Courtesy of the artist. In course of production Kader Attia’s “Collages”, 2011. Photographic series, 80 x 100 cm. courtesy Kader Attia, Galerie Krinzinger, Galerie Christian Nagel, Galleria Continua

IN 2002, when Bombay Dreams opened to a packed hall in London and ran for two years, it penned a new cultural chapter for India in the West. The musical, then, went on to break records at Broadway. Bollywood flicks found a new market on its trail and the West began to look at India beyond the black and white frames of its poverty and overrated spiritual mystique. The musical lent a fresh identity to India, the Bollywood way — of dramatic exaggerated entertainment through popular song and dance series. It created an India where everyone lived in palatial houses and was gaudily dressed up for breaking into a dance.

Whether plausible or not, attempts are being made to build cultural bridges across continents. On May 25, Parisians got a feel of India at the Centre Pompidou, which opened Paris-Delhi-Bombay, a major exhibition that explores Indian society through the eyes of Indian and French artists. Intended to promote communication between the two cultures, best exemplified by works such as draps-peaux hybrides (sheets-skin hybrids), 2011, by French artist Orlan, who had undergone years of experimentation on her own skin to defy traditional concepts of beauty. In this particular work, ‘skins’ of the French and Indian flags seemingly become one.

Whereas the possibility of two cultures merging into one remains perennially debatable, the exhibition is certainly an unprecedented example of Franco-Indian collaboration, created on a scale that is enormous.

With a long and impressive list of art historians, curators, sociologists, political scientists, philosophers and anthropologists from both the countries, who worked with a team from Centre Pompidou on the concept of the exhibition for more than four years, the analysis and reports prepared by the experts were then sent to select artists, majority of whom then worked on special commissioned works.

The 30 artists from India cover a broad spectrum; from veterans like Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodiya and Sudarshan Shetty, to the very young quirkier voices of Tejal Shah, who is never shy of expressing sexuality in different shades, and Nikhil Chopra, whose works with performance art have created a unique niche.

The curators were careful to select artists, who made their first mark in the India of the liberalised economy; therefore, reflecting global aspirations in the Indian art. Most of the artists filtered for the show are in the age group of 35 to 60, barring Vivan Sundaranm and Nalini Malini, both of whom have continued the process of rediscovering themselves.

The same is true of the 18 French artists, from 64-year-old ORLAN to Camile Henrot, among the youngest of the French contemporary artists, majority of French artists participating in the exhibition have never been to India. This was done on purpose, as the curators were concerned that the India that fascinated generations of European artists may influence the contemporary artist’s imagination. These artists were expected to present creative vision, which would have ‘freshness of eye.’

While Alain Seban, president of the Centre Pompidou, believes the show is necessary to understand the phenomenon of artistic globalisation and the advent of emerging art scenes, the development of contemporary art outside the West, the ‘art’ showcased here may not necessarily reflect ‘Indian sensibility’, per se.

Particularly, India as understood and depicted by the French artists often lacks an understanding of the enormity called India. The process, at best, is akin to blind man’s idea of an elephant. Under the cultural exchange programme, most French artists, who came to India, either had preconceived ideas about the land, or, saw the country as a tourist would. The end result: Fabrice Hyber’s Shiva that resembles a monster, which was close to the western concept of a demon, and French artist duo Pierre et Gilles’ kitschy recreations of Ram, Sita and Hanuman, or an over-simplified Virgin Mary in Indian attire.

Since the making of Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, which gave an artistic stamp to Indian poverty, and from the time Roberto Rossellini made a film for Italian TV on India, shown in 10 serials (India, Matri Bhumi), the country has undergone a lot of societal changes, paving way for complete cultural makeover. A lot lies undefined between the India of Ray and the India of Bollywood, which, the West is keen to unravel.

To help the process, the catalogue includes Deepak Anath’s article titled A Certain Idea of India and Christopher Jaffrelot’s India at the Dawn of New Millennium: Cultural Diversity and Socio-Political tensions. The rest, hopefully, will be done by artistic expressions from the two countries.

For a country viewed as an emerging economic power, the form of unique confrontation of perspectives on its cultural complexity draws fresh artistic energy. Expressed through artistic experiences and creative visions, Paris-Delhi-Bombay is a unique amalgam of visuals on India, with all possible contradictions and genres, documenting, and yet eluding India of a million shades. The exhibition Paris-Delhi-Bombay will run till September 19.

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