What do artists doodle? What words move them? A new exhibition brings their private thoughts into the public domain
The French windows at Chatterjee and Lal gallery open to a vista of rain — it’s Friday and the road outside the Colaba gallery is as soaked as the rest of the city (okay, well not quite). Inside, a fresh coat of white paint and varnish are drying as the gallery gets ready to host its next show starting this Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Works from artist Aditi Sharma’s book I am From.
Curated by Rukminee Guha Thakurta the show is titled Zones of Privacy — A Book Show, and lets the viewer delve into the minds of artists in a unique way — you get to browse through their sketchbooks, travel notes, diaries filled with both poems and doodles, at your own leisure. Between August 11 and September 3, the gallery promises to turn into a library of sorts for anyone who wants to come in and explore the mind of an artist.
A page from Roy Varghese’s journals
Delhi-based Guha Thakurta, in an email interview, says, “I have been a designer of books for over a decade now though my love for books goes back to my early childhood years but that was a different kind of engagement with books. In the years that I designed books, I worked closely with artists and authors of books and there has never been any doubt in my mind that some artists make books as expression of their art or make art in books, just like some artists perform or paint. Books as art have a rich history.”
A sketch from artist Prashant Miranda’s travel book, titled Zurich, worked on between 2013 and 2015. While the books will be available for viewers to read and browse through, some photobooks by different artists will be up on exhibit, available for purchase. Pics/Atul Kamble
At the gallery, we pick up a book plainly marked Zurich from a pile. As we browse through the travel diaries of Goa-based artist Prashant Miranda, replete with coloured sketches of heritage buildings, we come across a note written after a trip to Freiburg: “I feel at home”. It reminds us of the yearnings of a restless soul that is truly at home only when travelling.
Guha Thakurta says, “I have known a lot of artists to carry sketchbooks on their person for years on end. These books offer very rare views into the inner worlds of artists. Then there are artists who make work as raw material and eventually it is the book that emerges.” Between 25 artists, there are more than 80 books in this show that took one and a half-years to put together.
While some artists are those that Guha Thakurta knew herself, some are the gallery’s artists.
“After teaching just a brief book design course at NID’s photography department, I had students who kept bringing their books to me for a critique or suggestions. Some of their books are clearly works in progress and in that sense, the reach of this show swings right from a master like Dayanita Singh to raw and young works.”
It’s not just a day’s journey. Guha Thakurta, wants you to “visit the show a couple of times at least unless you are, like her, overwhelmed by Mumbai’s traffic!”
Zones of Privacy | A Book Show
When: August 11 - September 3, 11 am to 7 pm
Where: Chatterjee & Lal, 01/18 Kamal Mansion Floor 1, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba
Call: 2202 3787
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
