Indian Highway at the Serpentine Gallery, London, is a response to India's rise as a considerable economic power and cultural influence on the world stage, a timely exhibition bringing together the work of some of the most innovative artists in India today. The culmination of extensive research across India, the group exhibition is a snapshot of a vibrant generation of artists working across a range of media.
Indian Highway features artists who have already made an impact on the international art world alongside less well-established practitioners. Artists of Indian descent who may be based outside India are also included in the show.
Some of the artworks in the exhibition have been selected for their connection to the theme of Indian Highway, reflecting the importance of the road in migration and movement and as the link between rural and urban communities. Other works make reference to technology and the ‘information superhighway’, which has been central to India’s economic boom. A common thread throughout is the way in which these artists demonstrate an active political and social engagement, examining complex issues in contemporary India that include environmentalism, religious sectarianism, globalisation, gender, sexuality and class.
To frame and contextualise the work by a younger generation of artists, new paintings have been created specially for the Serpentine Gallery by M F Husain, arguably India’s most acclaimed living artist, . Depicting the history of India, the series is presented on a structure around the exterior of the building, purpose-designed by architects Nikolaus Hirsch and Michel Müller.
Indian Highway is curated by Julia Peyton-Jones and Hans Ulrich Obrist, both directors of the Serpentine Gallery, and Gunnar B Kvaran, Director, Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, in association with Rebecca Morrill and assisted by Leila Hasham, in consultation with specialists from the region and beyond.
After London, Indian Highway will travel to at Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo, from 4 April to 21 June 2009, where it will change and expand with the addition of new works as well as a section curated by Bose Krishnamachari.
Artists in the exhibition include: Ayisha Abraham, Ravi Agarwal, Raqs Media Collective (comprising Jeebesh Bagchi, Monica Narula and Shuddhabrata Sengupta), Sheela Gowda, Sakshi Gupta, Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta, N S Harsha, M F Husain, Jitish Kallat, Amar Kanwar, Bharti Kher, Bose Krishnamachari, Nalini Malani, Kiran Subbaiah, Tejal Shah, Dayanita Singh, Ashok Sukumaran and Shaina Anand.
Indian Highway features a special project curated by Raqs Media Collective which includes works by Debkamal Ganguly, Ruchir Joshi, Kavita Pai and Hansa Thapliyal, M R Rajan, Raqs Media Collective, Priya Sen, Surabhi Sharma and Vipin Vijay.
Indian Highway, Serpentine Gallery, 10 December 2008 – 22 February 2009, Kensington, London, Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
