WNDX – Random Variables

Exhibition: Opens Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Time: 9 pm
Location: Poolside Gallery (2nd floor, 100 Arthur Street)
Dates: September 19-29 2018
Hours: W-Sat 12-5PM

Note: Exhibition open during festival hours.

Random Variables curated by Ushmita Sahu brings together a group of young video-art practitioners from across India. Video art is a relatively late entrant in the Indian contemporary art scene and it has gradually made its way into art school curriculums only in the last decade or so, leading to a crop of young artists working with moving images. This exhibition examines the work of eight artists who are searching for a globalized, contemporary language of expression while trying to negotiate a culture rooted in diverse traditions. While the title Random Variables references a statistical terminology dealing with possible outcomes of random phenomena, it also reflects the chaotic socio-political situation within the country. India is a paradoxical entity and does not offer singular answers or easy choices to any issue; there is no single ‘Indian’ identity, food, language, music, belief system. In fact, India can mean completely contrary things to people depending on their condition of upbringing, locus, social demographic, religion, caste, gender etc. in addition to their individual choices. The result can be quite unpredictable. It is this randomness of choice informed by other immutable circumstances that this exhibition wishes to share.

This exhibition features work by Ashish Himmatbhai Dhola (Surat, Gujarat), Sonam Chaturvedi (Delhi, India), Vishal Kumaraswamy (Karnataka, India), Ashok Vish (Bangalore, India), Prasanta Ghosh (Konnagar, West Bengal), Sabyasachi Bhattacharjee (Agartala, Tripura), Souvik Majumdar (Kolkata West Bengal) & Asis Mahakhud.