Breaking barriers of language in foreign lands through art show
An art show attempts to connect people through a different language
By : samyuktha k
Update: 2014-07-27 21:57 GMT
Hyderabad: “It took me an hour to explain to someone that I needed a glass of water,” narrates artist Avijit Dutta. This is just one of the many stories Dutta and his artist-friend George Martin share about the struggles of visiting China. It is this barrier of language that the duo wanted to break with the art show Traditions and Transitions.
“As young Indians we always wanted to converse with our friends in China,” says Dutta. “But language came in between, until we realised the visual language is the best way to communicate.”
Since the intention was to communicate, the choice of artists also focussed on who could speak through visuals. For instance, Ramesh Vedambhatla of Vizag who is also a part of this show has been working towards creating a language through paintings for a while now.
Traditions and Transitions brings together a mix of 21 artists from India and China, a first of its kind international show. While watercolours was the common ground for both the countries’ artists, they treat the same medium differently.
George Martin, who curated the show with Dutta, explains, “For the Chinese, the medium has been a traditional one. It’s a very very meditative process for them. But for us Indians, it has gone through a lot of transition through different periods of time.”
Despite the traditional connect that watercolours have in China, a lot of contemporary motifs and ideas are expressed in the Chinese art. Huang Wenfeng, for instance, mixes calligraphy with bold motifs and figures while subtle written messages sneak in.
Among some breathtaking art that you would be treated to at the two venues of Kalakriti gallery are the rare sights of scrolls hanging from the walls. The show that the curators call the “first step towards this Indian-Chinese artistic collaboration” will be travelling to other parts of the country soon. And why was Hyderabad the lucky city to host it first? It’s the association city gallerist Prshant Lahoti had with the artists, who have long been working on this project.