Attend these two thought-provoking solo exhibitions in Mumbai this July

In this intimate exhibition Prabhakar Barwe Between Object amp Space a solo show on modernist Prabhakar Barwe DAG presents a selection of watercolours drawings paintings textiles and sculpture spanning the gamut of the artistrsquos interests across several decades of his practiceOpening on 22 July 2023 alongside Altaf Early Drawings in the second space it serves as an introduction to one of the most important artists of modern Indian art and also showcases drawings of motifs that formed part of his body of work at Weaversrsquo Service Centre revealing the relationship he helped bridge between art and craftmdasha rare opportunity to see so many works of high quality by Barwe in the same spaceldquoExhibitions on Prabhakar Barwe are extremely rare because a sizeable body of works by this modern abstractionist are impossible to find A recent retrospective at NGMA Mumbai and New Delhi with loans from institutional and private collectors showed the amazingly extensive oeuvre of this extraordinary artist Barwe was a highly accomplished artist who experimented with techniques and styles adapted technology used enamel paint intellectualised art practice even writing a manifesto Kora Canvas in the form of a book employed tantra but most of all liked to provoke viewers into thinking about objects and their relations hip to us This is why everyday objects cast such a spell in his workrdquo Ashish Anand CEO and Managing Director DAGThis is a rare opportunity to see so many works by artist of high quality in the same space Post a retrospective exhibition held by DAG in Mumbai in 2017 and New Delhi in 2018 the blue chip gallery announces a unique exhibition on Altafrsquos early drawings from the 1960s and rsquo70s with an aim to place the artistrsquos formative years and art within his milieu including the books he read the music he listened to the films he watched the actors and writers he admired recreated in one of its Mumbai galleries Curated by his daughter Sasha Altaf these early drawingsmdashfrom academic studies to doodles and abstract watercoloursmdashexhibit the range of his engagement with art in London and Bombay in this exciting period Opening on 22 July 2023 for a month it includes portraits anatomical studies landscapes from his travels across Europe his engagement with the vibrant social life of the time and his haunting anxiety about deathAccompanied by a book illustrated by his drawings the exhibition also sees the release of a second book Altaf The Journals 196373 which shows him as a thinker whose writings shed light on an era that now survives as a faint memory Published by DAG and edited by Sasha Altaf this 500page volume is a testament to one of Indiarsquos most socially conscious artists and his deeply humanistic perspective ndash from how riots impacted the impoverished to manmade catastrophes that held no one accountable ndash and was seared by the human tragedy of it all Another interesting piece of writing is by H Masud Taj whose life oddly paralleled Altafrsquos about which he writes from a deeply personal perspective He draws inferences with telling examples about their individual beliefs their words as poets and instances where architecture and art collude and cross over into each otherrsquos zones Premjish Acharirsquos essay on Altafrsquos drawings comes from a place of reflection that draws from various Marxist philosophers While his later concerns with capitalism authoritarianism institutional capriciousness and political disenchantment are well known his early period which formed the foundation for his sensitive and deep intellectualism is less known DAGrsquos exhibition of his early drawings is aimed at filling this gaplsquoWith his retrospective exhibition which we opened in Mumbai in 2017 travelling next to New Delhi in 2018 I became more acutely aware of the Altafrsquos career The drawings in this book I saw some years later and knew instinctively that they deserved an exhibition of their own Any artistrsquos doodles and sketches are the grammar they use to create their lexicon and these early drawings are the most intimately we will know Altafmdash the artist as well as the person The drawings converge with another interesting aspect of Altafrsquos life his journals or diaries that he wrote between 1963 and rsquo73 which his wife Navjot and daughter Sasha found when clearing through his cupboards following his death The diariesmdashpublished alongside this cataloguemdashwill reveal a more vulnerable and intimate side of Altaf Together with these drawings it will help establish the foundation and thinking on which Altaf built his practice I could think of no one better than Sasha to edit Altafrsquos journals or curate this exhibition of drawings She has the voice of an art historian her own convictions the ability to see Altafrsquos works from a place up close and yet with dispassion Both projects have improved from her sharp insight as well as her personal warmthrsquo Ashish Anand CEO and Managing Director DAGAlso Read Mumbai teen champion is breaking barriers as a rising teen wrestlerThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever