PLAY: EXPERIMENTS WITH INDIAN MINIATURES

Manuscript illumination and ‘Miniature’ painting historically flourished under courtly patronage. Rich in detail and symbolism, with KAASH’s new exhibition PLAY, this traditional form demands a fresh closer look, as contemporary artists offer new perspectives. Humour, sensuality, festivities, debauchery, even worship, find expression in their works. To offer historical context to many of the artworks in the exhibition, the show presents immersive projections of rarely seen paintings from various South Indian Schools; these are from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

From the archival to the contemporary, the artists in PLAY break codes, push narrative boundaries and blur the line between art and design. Dr. Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi’s strong, lyrical visuals revive the Surpur school of painting. His colour works sit within a meditative space, resting as if in a sanctum sanctorum, while Dr. Hagargundgi’s line drawings present the master’s more poetic side.

Subverting traditional iconography from the Rajput school of Pahari Miniatures, Riyazuddin paints gods in festive frolic on illuminated parchment leather, works that straddle fine art and functional design as ‘collectible craft’. A second series of portraits by the artist perfectly showcases his sense of humour and storytelling. Gargi Chandola presents sensual, cheeky characters that delve into human notions of territory, power and the isolation of the mind.

Come, PLAY.