Celebrating BN Goswami and his love for prints

Gurnaaz Kaur

Chandigarh, February 12

“Dua hai ki aap jo bhi kaam kar rahe hain, usmein jahan tak pohanchein hain, usse kahin aage jaayein,” with these kind words by Prof BN Goswami from an old video, Government Museum and Art Gallery and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi today commenced an art exhibition titled ‘Dashak-Darshak’.

Some black and white pictures of the revered art historian from his many visits to art exhibitions, pieced together with clips from his interactions with artists and art lovers in and around Tricity brought alive fond memories of BNG as he was fondly called.

This exhibition, showcasing a decade of printmaking and viewership in collaboration with International Print Exchange Programme (IPEP), India, honours Goswamy’s remarkable contribution to oriental arts. The exhibition will continue till April 30.

A special man deserves an extraordinary tribute. And Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademy chairman Bheem Malhotra explains, “This mega event is dedicated to Prof BN Goswami. He was a visionary and made a huge contribution to the city and country artists, so we wanted to do something unconventional as a tribute.”

The exhibition has a special section curated to commemorate his efforts in enriching the museum’s collection along with a selection of books and photographs of Prof BN Goswamy on display.

“We were actually thinking of how to pay tribute to a person like Goswami. We didn’t want just a memorial service; it had to be about carrying forward his thought about what the government museum should be and how we should be bringing good exhibitions,” says Seema Gera, deputy curator at the museum.

Print as an art medium was special to Dr Goswami, so opening the ‘hallowed’ Great Hall at the museum, Seema says, felt like the right thing to do. “We have rarely opened this space for exhibitions unless it’s an exceptional display. This one fit the bill.”

Explaining how the printmakers from around the world got a chance to showcase their works at the museum, Seema continues, “We have an outstanding collection of prints in our permanent collection, which has two sections—antiquities and modern and contemporary art. Prof Goswami was looking after the art acquisition from 1968 till the end.

“Whenever it came to acquiring modern artwork, he would eventually pick up lots of prints. So we were aware prints had a special place in his heart. When the conversation started around this exhibition, we knew this was the right thing to do. We feel lucky that we could do something which will, I am sure, make Prof Goswami very proud.”

There is a display of 305 plus artworks by artists from 49 countries on subjects such as microcosm, fear, homeland, threshold, indigestible etc. Each wall has art works placed thematically, well-explained by authors and curators.

Rajesh Pullarwar from Mumbai, who started IPEP 10 years ago, is the man behind this democratic platform where printmakers from across the globe mutually support each other.

The interactive exhibition also includes various activities for the viewers, including A/V documentaries on printmaking, a DIY stamp-making experience.