Dissensus

International Art Exhibition

Oct 26 – Nov 12, 2017

Gallery, Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi,

Chandigarh / In collaboration with

Gallery LATTITUDE 28

 

Fay Ku / Taiwan

Gazi Nafis Ahmed / Bangladesh

Hit Man Gurung / Nepal

Khadim Ali / Afghanistan

Neda Tavallaee / Iran

Priyanka D’Souza / India

Veer Munshi / India

Waseem Ahmed / Pakistan

Bhavna Kakar – Curator / India

 

These are stories of us, narratives that

emerge from the partitioning of places,

crisis of identity, feeling of impermanence,

displacement, violence, aggression, inequality,

of our failings as human beings.

Art, they say, is a reflection of our times

and ‘Dissensus’ brought together 60

works by eight artists from 7 countries

who have been witness to the political

and identity crises in regions of on-going

conflict — Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran,

Taiwan, Bangladesh, Kashmir in India,

and Pakistan. Presented by Punjab

Lalit Kala Akademi in collaboration with

Gallery Latitude 28, New Delhi, the artists

represented in this exhibition were Fay

Ku, Gazi Nafis Ahmed, Hit Man Gurung,

Khadim Ali, Neda Tavallaee , Priyanka

D’Souza, Veer Munshi and Waseem Ahmed.

The exhibition has been curated by Bhavna

Kakar, Delhi-based curator, publisher

and editor of the prestigious art journal

Take on Art.

The issues that are of immediate concern

to the artists range from gender, territorial

dispute, anxieties regarding cultural

annihilation and ethnic marginalization,

as the artists look at immediate, everyday

contexts, and markers to create quiet acts

of dissent away from the central, political

stage. The works are intimate testimonies

and observations, as several artists

find a language in the subtlety of the

miniature tradition to voice their politics.

As part of Dissensus, the audience had a

chance to view works by Priyanka D’Souza,

a young MSU Baroda trained artist, who

responds to deeply political and social

contemporary issues through a work that

is inspired by Mughal miniatures. Also

presented were works by Australia-based

artist Khadim Ali, whose work is based on

current social and political issues and the

incidents in surroundings where religion is

the base of every conflict. ‘Dissensus’ also

marked the first India exhibition for Iranian

artist Neda Tavallaee, who addresses her

feminist concerns through the language

of Persian miniatures, as the Taiwan-born,

New York-based artist Fay Ku collages

an eclectic account of personal identity

through multi-layered tableaus. The exhibition

also showcased Bangladeshi activist

artist Gazi Nafis Ahmed’s black and white

photographs from the series ‘Puran Dhaka’,

documenting precarious communities in

Bangladesh. Hit Man Gurung’s work ‘We

are in war without enemies…’ is from the

series, ‘This is My Home, My Land and My

Country…’, Dedicated to the earthquake

survivors of Nepal who lost their home

and beloved ones in 2015, with thousands

of families still living in poor conditions

and temporary shelters.

 

 

 

 

 

A special Art Walk was lead by contemporary artist

Veer Munshi, whose work was also on display as

part of the exhibition DISSENSUS.

Kashmir-born and Delhi-based Munshi took viewers

through the exhibition discussing the social, cultural

and political aspects of the works on display.

Munshi talked about the many issues that the

artists represented in this exhibition, express in

their work, in context with conflict, with the testimonies

and observations employing the aesthetic

to develop micro-poetics of the stakes borne by

civilians, whose concerns are overlooked in media

narratives driven by political figureheads, capital

and diplomatic ties. He mentioned how scale and

detail evoke the marginal locations of the themes,

and the multitude that is united in these narratives.

Going into the many aspects of the techniques,

treatments and philosophy of the art works on

display, Munshi emphasised how religion can never

lead to progress and development. “Culture and

art can lead to change and the exhibition here

brings many harsh realities of our times closer to

common people.” He added how he views himself

as an activist, without being political and how artists

must follow the middle path, the humanitarian one.

Munshi firmly believes that while talking about

conflict zone, it is important to give a chance to

everyone to speak for each person is true in his /

her experience and expression.

Veer as he is lovingly known among his friends

gave another slide presentation of his art works

along with two short video films.