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More than half a century has passed since inception of the Pop Art movement in the West. Back then, Marcel Duchamp in New York turned a urinal upside down and titled it Fountain; afterwards, Andy Warhol was to take the world by storm with his commercial illustrations. Closer home, the phenomenon has taken some time to come of age, but today, it is coming into its own, and how.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Igor Zanti, curator of the Dadaumpop exhibition, elaborates, "Pop Art is defined by its movement away from the traditional style of art, and by its use of popular objects and aspects of mass culture." Indeed, we see it on postcards, bright coffee mugs; and even as Marilyn Monroe images on T-shirts.
Interestingly enough, the name of the exhibition was inspired by Marcel Duchamp, (whose art is sometimes referred to as Dada), whom the artists contend is the original father of Pop Art. Bright colours, cartoon characters, popular objects and people — it was all there in this exhibition. While works like Pray You Tell Me Another Lie by Angelo Volpe (showing Pinocchio using his nose for sexual penetration) and Transgenic by Teresa Morelli (depicting a transvestite) might have been a little bold for Indian sensibilities, the exhibition was, on the whole, well-received for its imaginative themes and unique concepts. In particular, Alice Goes Fast by Marco Minetti was one of the best works, showing the flurry of activity in Alice, the March Hare and the Mad Hatter — all characters from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Max Papeschi’s American Wedding showed the faces of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy superimposed on the faces of an average couple on their wedding day, with a burning house in the background. Dadaumpop wasn’t the solitary Pop Art exhibition in the country, though. John Gilbert, a native New Yorker, who has lived in India for the last seven years, held a solo exhibition at Galerie Romain Rolland in New Delhi late last year. The art, inspired by Indian culture and life, made use of the mediums of teak sculptures and acrylic on wood.
Pop Art has made foray into the shopping segment too. Kaji, the d`E9cor store, hosted Pop Art Festival in Kolkata to showcase both national and international brands of Pop Art, presenting collections by Yellow Submarine, Nida Mehmood, Vineeta Nair, and Pop Goes the Art, among others. The store of Pooja Shroff, one of the participants in the exhibition, boasts of funky and eye-catching pop art d`E9cor. Says Pooja, "Visitors who walk in are mesmerised by the London telephone-booth-shaped changing room, complete with Marilyn Monroe picture, the black-and-white 3D wall-hangings, not to mention the entire wall dedicated to graffiti and Pop Art d`E9cor." The Indian Art Summit, held in New Delhi, has not gone without its share of Pop Art either. Many may remember the image of the Tata Nano, covered all over with psychedelic Pop Art imagery created by Ketna Patel, a Singapore-based artist. Rajasee Ray, an art and design student, has built an interesting website, which shows up ordinary images encountered in everyday life, albeit with a twist. "A large part of pop art in India closely follows the street culture. Besides the unique aesthetic involved in cheap film posters in two or three coloured screen prints, or hand-painted sign boards, there’s a completely different world of Pop Art in the charts, posters and artwork that people sell in the streets," she says. One can see religious themes, educational themes, and decorative themes littered across the streets. While exhibitions and better patronage of the graphic artists can play a pivotal role in taking Pop Art in India forward, the country is yet to get its very own equivalent of Pop icons like Duchamp. However, there is no denying the fact that Pop Art has moved beyond its nascent stage to a more developed and finely nuanced commonly recognised art form. — TWF
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A travelling exhibition
titled "Dadaumpop", organised by the Italian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in India
played a pivotal role in bringing to the forefront interesting specimens
of Pop Art created by 27 Italian artists. The exhibition included an
eclectic mix of oil and acrylic paintings, sculptures and photos, as
well as installations and mixed media.
