The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998
Written by Charlie Moore
“The Imaginary Institution of India is framed by two significant national events in the history of independent India. The declaration of the emergency in 1975 when democratic rights were suspended and the nuclear tests of 1998.”
I want audiences to be able to understand the recent history of India better, but also become acquainted with the practices of these remarkable artists; expose them to the works of some of the most important artists I believe working today or of the 21st century and the incredible integrity that defines their practices, the innovation, and how resonant the work is…”
Shanay Jhaveri, Curator of The Imaginary Institution of India
Going up...
The Barbican’s exhibition focuses on the art of India from 1975-1998 is remarkable, in that many of the major artists featured are receiving international museum attention for the first time. It’s also the first exhibition anywhere to explore and chart a period of profound cultural and political change in India. The exhibition consists of around 150 multidisciplinary works by 30 artists, many of which have never been shown in the UK.
It’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of work from this period. Many of the pieces I’ve only ever seen in books, so it was hugely enjoyable to see them in person. I’m a big fan of Sudhir Patwardhan, and his paintings loaned from the Essex Peabody Museum are exquisite. They originally come from the Herwitz collection – that name again (see Sotheby’s Field Notes).
The exhibition has been beautifully curated by Shanay Jhaveri*, Head of Visual Arts at the Barbican, (previously Associate Curator of Internation Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), and is part of a series of exhibitions organised by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi, which started with Ranjani Shettar’s installation Cloud songs on the horizon in the Barbican conservatory.
“For me the exhibition has always lived in my mind’s eye and then after seeing them physically together it has a whole different resonance… We’ve created the rooms to be beautiful contemplative spaces.”
Shanay Jhaveri, Curator of The Imaginary Institution of India
Ranhani Shettar, Cloud song on the horizon
There are countless narratives at play in this exhibition, and its scope and objectives are colossal. The Barbican has produced a fantastic audio guide for the show, which is a treasure trove of information and knowledge.
We don’t want to spoil it, so won’t put up too many images, but can’t overstate what a fantastic show this is.
“The thing that's important to take away from this exhibition is just the way in which artists are beacons for using their art practices to stand up for what is important in terms of connecting with each other, in terms of sharing experience, and in terms of all the kind of pluralities that exist within a single community.”
Amber Li, Curatorial Assistant for the exhibition
A specially curated film season, Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970, will run alongside the exhibition, as well as and the Darbar Festival of Indian classical music and has been organised in collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi.
*Jhaveri is both the first non-white and non-British person to serve as the Barbican’s head of visual arts since the centre was established in 1982. "I want to create a balanced programme that targets audiences representative of this city's diversity," he says.
Shanay is also a curator of the Frieze Masters Talks programme for 2024, alongside Sheena Wagstaff. Lots and lots more to come on this platform for Frieze…
The exhibition contains work by the following artists:
Pablo Bartholomew, Jyoti Bhatt, Rameshwar Broota, Sheba Chhachhi, Anita Dube, Sheela Gowda, Sunil Gupta, Safdar Hashmi, M.F. Husain, Rummana Hussain, Jitish Kallat, Bhupen Khakhar, K.P Krishnakumar, Nalini Malani, Tyeb Mehta, Meera Mukherjee, Madhvi Parekh, Navjot Altaf, Gieve Patel, Sudhir Patwardhan, C.K.Rajan, N. N. Rimzon, Savi Sawarkar, Himmat Shah, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, Arpita Singh, Jangarh Singh Shyam, Vivan Sundaram, J. Swaminathan.
Click here to listen to a fantastic interview between Shanay Jhaveri & Jelena Sofronijevic as part of the podcast ‘Empire Lines’
