Seventh edition of Delhi Contemporary Art Week to begin from August 31

New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Six leading art galleries of the national capital -- Blueprint12, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Latitude 28, Shrine Empire, and Vadehra Art Gallery -- will come together for the seventh edition of Delhi Contemporary Art Week (DCAW) here at Bikaner House from August 31.

Showcasing the best of South Asian art and contemporary voices, DCAW will feature a selection of works by established and emerging artists from India and the broader subcontinent, including Zoya Chaudhary, Gopi Gajwani, Soma Surovi Jannat, Khadim Ali, Chandan Bez Baruah, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Jagannath Panda, Anju and Atul Dodiya.

The art week will also have a group exhibition curated by Girish Shahane, titled "A Bold Step Sideways", that will showcase a diverse array of works from artists from each gallery that freely traverse styles and mediums.

In this edition of DCAW, Gallery Espace will showcase a lively and varied collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures by leading artists across generations and graphic mediums.

The gallery led by founder-director Renu Modi will highlight a drawing installation by Soma Surovi Jannat, a young artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The installation, titled "Time without Birth and Death", is an intricate work that explores the concept of cyclical existence, of birth and death, conveying through motif and form, a sense of infinity and the continuity of nature.

Gallery Espace will also showcase a new set of paintings by Baroda-based Rashmimala, depicting the ground plant species specific to the Delhi ridge, Ravi Agarwal’s photographs of an abandoned office, and Tanmoy Samanta’s luminous canvases of liminal shapes.

"This year, Gallery Espace celebrates its 35th anniversary and our presentation at DCAW will give a glimpse of the depth of our programming - with fresh works by Rashmimala, Ravi Agarwal, and Tanmoy Samanta alongside senior artist Amit Ambalal.

"Ishita Chakraborty, Sharad Sonkusale, Sheetal Gattani, and Sonia Mehra Chawla are also part of the showcase," Modi said in a statement.

Latitude 28 will feature artists using weaving, crochet, embroidery, zardosi and Kantha techniques to manipulate fabric and integrate it with other art forms and textures.

The highlight of Latitude 28's curation will be Khadim Ali's tapestry work influenced by his Afghan heritage, Veena Advani's mixed media paintings with hand embroidery, Al-Qawi Nanavati's work that infuses her late mother's belongings into her art, and Viraj Khanna's narrative-based embroidered works that are focused on eye-catching moments shared on social media.

Besides a number of artists -- including Anoli Perera, Awdhesh Tamrakar, Sajan Mani and Samanta Batra Mehta -- Shrine Empire will also showcase artworks by Hema Shironi and Natasha Das whose work with textile explores various contexts that relate to their personal histories, politics of the region and sustainability.

Vadehra Art Gallery's ensemble of South Asian artists, including Anita Dube, Atul Bhalla, Faiza Butt, Gigi Scaria, Joya Mukerjee Logue, and Sudhir Patwardhan, will feature works across mediums, with a focus on painting and photography.

“Across its six editions, DCAW has managed to further the rising talents and ideas of contemporary and emerging artists. I always look forward to the exciting week-long curations that come together under a common space for seasoned and new collectors from the capital and across the country.

"It is a unique collaborative presentation by the Delhi galleries that is always welcomed by great enthusiasm by the art community and we hope to see more of that this year as well,” Roshini Vadehra, director of the VAG, said in a statement.

While Blueprint12 will be exhibiting works of selected artists, including Divyesh Undaviya, Meghana Gavireddygari, Aravani Art Project, and Anila Govindappa to explore a rich tapestry of emotions, cultures, and narratives; Exhibit 320's curation will emphasise new media and its structures as a place for creative endeavor, aesthetic exploration and furthering visual dialogue.

Exhibit 320 will feature works of Deena Pindoria, Deepak Kumar, Jayati Kaushik, Kaushik Saha, Kumaresan Selvaraj, Priyantha Udagedara, and Sareena Khemka.

The Delhi Contemporary Art Week will come to a close on September 4. PTI MAH MG MAH MAH