An exhibition of photographs by Debalina Mazumder and Manobina Roy
Curated by Sabeena Gadihoke, Mallika Leuzinger and Tapati Guha-Thakurta
 
This exhibition delves into the photographic lives of twin sisters Debalina Mazumder (1919-2012) and Manobina Roy (1919-2001). Their practice encompassed a range of subjects and genres, joint experiments with light and shadow in 1930s Ramnagar (Benaras) giving way to striking portraits of family and friends in and around their homes in Calcutta and Bombay and distinctive glimpses of 1960s Europe.
 
Inauguration by Sharmila Tagore on Friday, 12 August 2022 at 18:30
 
 The Art Gallery will remain closed on 15 August 2022
 

Curators Walks
On 13 August 2022 at 12 noon - Curators Walk with Sabeena Gadihoke; and at 5 pm with Mallika Leuzinger
On 14 August 2022 at 12 noon and 5 pm – Curators Walk with Mallika Leuzinger
On 20, 21 and 27 August 2022 at 5 pm – Curators Walk with Sabeena Gadihoke
 

Thursday 18
 
Discussion ■ Seminar Rooms I to III, Kamaladevi Complex at 18:00
On the eve of World Photography Day
 
Panel discussion on The Home and Beyond: The World of the Amateur Photographer
Panelists: Sabeena Gadihoke, Professor, Video & TV Production, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia; Mallika Leuzinger, historian based at the German Historical Institute, London; Suryanandinin Narain, Assistant Professor, Visual Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Uma Chakravarti, feminist historian, filmmaker and archivist
 
(Collaboration: CREA; Jadunath Bhavan, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata; and with the support of PhotoSouthAsia, MurthyNAYAK Foundation)

Indian Space Programme: Growing in Leaps and Bounds

Since its inception in 1961 with Dr. Vikram Sarabhai as Chairman of the Indian National Committee on Space Research, the Indian space programme has grown in leaps and bounds. On 21st November 1963, the first Nike-Apache rocket was successfully launched and this marked the beginning of India’s journey into space. The exhibition highlights this journey of over six decades starting from the nascent years under Dr. Sarabhai; to the development of indigenous capabilities for designing and building launch vehicles and satellites; research in Cryogenic; radar imaging; cartography; oceanography and weather related areas; and to the continuing journey that has transformed the country into a technology driven one

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) presents a display of text and photographic panels that tell the story of India’s space programme along with scale models of rockets, launch vehicles and satellite models

Inauguration Prof. Ajay K. Sood, Principle Scientific Adviser to the Government of India on Friday, 22 July 2022 at 18:30

The exhibition is on view from 23 to 29 July 2022, 11:00 to 19:00 daily

WEDNESDAY 27

DISCUSSION  ¦ CONFERENCE ROOM II AT 16:30 TO 18:00
 

Panel discussion on Prospects and Avenues for New Space in India

Panelists: Dr. S. Somanath, Secretary, DOS/Chairman, ISRO; Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Director, NIAS and Life Trustee, IIC; Dr. Srinivasa Kumar T., Director, INCOIS; Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director, RIS; Shri Jayant Sahasrabudde, National Organising Secretary, VIBHA; Dr. Suba Chandran, Professor, NIAS; Shri Sanjay Kumar, Founder & CED, Geospatial World; Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Anil Kumar Bhat, DG, ISpA; Shri Venkat Katkuri, Head, Airbus Defence & Aerospace; and Shri Gaurav Kharod, Managing Sales Director, Intelsat-India

The discussion will focus on the Post Space reforms announced by the Government of India and the vital role of industry and academia. In order to enable them, what are the policies, frameworks, rules and guidelines required to be formulated including incentives; and the single window regulations and approvals which will be enabled for ease of doing businesses. While ISRO will act as a facilitator or technology provider for the early startups; these startups will require directions for sustainable business. Innovations and opportunities shall be debated and discussed across all sectors for implementing space technology in the downstream industries, which will generate further opportunities for the upstream industry.

WEDNESDAY 27

TALK  ¦SEMINAR ROOMS I TO III, KAMALADEVI COMPLEX AT 18:30
Transformation of Indian Space Sector

Speaker: Shri S. Somanath, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Chair: Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Life Trustee, IIC

The Indian space programme started 60 years back is based on the concept of fulfilling societal needs. India achieved self-sufficiency on building upstream technologies with indigenised effort. Now it is the time for technology adoption for various sectors for increasing the country’s economy in multiple folds. The space technology shall be one of the best enablers for the country, considering vast agriculture, water resources, urbanisation and transport. After unlocking the space sector, ISRO acts as a facilitator to many non-governmental enterprises in scaling up the opportunities and contributing to the economy and technological development of the country. ISRO also concentrates more on R&D, space science missions and capacity building.

(Collaboration: Indian Space Research Organisation; SatCom Industry Association; and Indian Space Association)
 

An exhibition of photographs by Chitvan Gill

The Unseen Children of India’s Poor - crushing poverty forces millions of children into the workforce. This exhibition is an attempt to bring these children closer to us, it tells of their struggle for existence; it is the story of their parents, the marginalised, the poorest of the poor.

Inauguration by Mr. Insaf Nizam, Specialist on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, ILO’s South Asia sub-Regional Office on Friday, 1 July 2022 at 18:30

Exhibition on view from 2 to 14 July 2022, 11:00 to 19:00 daily

(Collaboration: Work: No Child’s Business)
 

Ambedkar, Stamps and the Indian Republic

Illustrated lecture by Prof. Vikas Kumar, Faculty, School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru and author of the forthcoming book Waiting for a Christmas Gift and Other Essays and co-author of Numbers in India’s Periphery: The Political Economy of Government Statistics (Cambridge University Press: 2020)

Baba Saheb: An Extraordinary Philatelic Journey (1966-2022)

The exhibition brings together a unique archive on the philatelic afterlife of Ambedkar (1966-2022), his journey from being the first Dalit personality to be honoured with a commemorative postage stamp to becoming a key philatelic icon on the country. On view are commemorative and definitive postage stamps, information brochures, first day covers, postal calendars, inland letter cards and other postal material to throw fresh light on the shifting evolution of the official and popular imagination of Ambedkar

Curated by Vikas Kumar 

Inauguration by Dr. Gopal Guru, Editor, Economic and Political Weekly on Tuesday, 7 June 2022 at 18:30

Exhibition on view: 08 to 21 June  2022 11:00 to 19:00 daily

As part of the exhibition, there will be two related programmes in the Art Gallery:

11 JUNE 2022 AT 18:30 

Ambedkar, Stamps and the Indian Republic

Illustrated lecture by Prof. Vikas Kumar, Faculty, School of Development, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru and author of the forthcoming book Waiting for a Christmas Gift and Other Essays and co-author of Numbers in India’s Periphery: The Political Economy of Government Statistics (Cambridge University Press: 2020)
 

20 JUNE 2022 AT 18:00 

Gallery Walk Through

Conducted by Vikas Kumar, curator of the exhibition

(Collaboration: Azim Premji University, Bengaluru)

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of photographs by Anuj Ambalal 

The Salt March, conceived and led by Mohandas K. Gandhi, is regarded as one of the defining movements in the history of the independence struggle. 90 years later, the photographer, Anuj Ambalal retraces the Mahatma’s steps and those who walked with him. Included in the display are copies of personal letters that Gandhiji wrote during the March; and short video film interviews of some of the surviving witnesses of the March.

Preview on Tuesday 10 May at 18:30
Anuj Ambalal will conduct a walk - through of the exhibition

As part of this exhibition, there will be several related programmes in the Art Gallery

On 11 May 2022 at 18:30
In Conversation

 Anuj Ambalal in conversation with Ina Puri, writer, art curator and documentarian

On 23 May 2022 at 18:30 in the Multipurpose Hall
 

Film: 'The Salt Stories'
(84 min; 2008; b/w & colour; Hindi/English/Gujarati and with English subtitles)
Director: Lalit Vachani

Recipient of the Best Documentary Award, MIAAC 2009; and 2nd Prize, Film South Asia, Kathmandu 2009

In 1930, a group of Indians led by a frail, elderly man marched a distance of 241 miles. They marched for salt. Mahatma Gandhi was able to craft an anti-colonial, nationalist movement around the most basic issue of livelihood: the right of Indians to make and consume their own salt. Set against the backdrop of Gandhi’s original journey, this documentary is a road-movie about issues of livelihood in a modern, globalising India. It is a documentary about ‘the salt stories’ of our times.

(Collaboration: The Raza Foundation)
 

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

In Conversation
Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in conversation Latika Gupta

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

A personal archive of Tibetan Resistance (1957-1974)
A project by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in collaboration with Natasha Ginwala

The exhibition re-evaluates the audiovisual material that Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam have gathered over the years by weaving in Lhamo Tsering’s personal archives, and presenting a re-mastered version of their documentary, to create a more complete and complex mosaic of this largely obscure story.

On view are archival photographs, letters and documents, maps and video installations

Preview on Wednesday, 20 April 2022 at 18:00

As part of this exhibition there will be several related programmes:

On 21 April 2022 at 18:30 in C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium
The Sweet Requiem (Kyoyang Ngarmo/India/USA)

(91 min; 2018; Tibetan with English subtitles)
A film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam who will be present for the screening

Recipient of the NETPAC Award for Best Film, Kolkata International Film Festival 2018

At the age of eight, Dolkar fled her home with her father to escape Chinese armed forces, and faced an arduous journey across the Himalayas. Now 26, she lives in a Tibetan refugee colony in Delhi, where an unexpected encounter with a man from her past awakens long-suppressed memories, propelling Dolkar on an obsessive search for the truth.

On 23 April 2022 at 17:30: Gallery Walk-through
With Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam

On 26 April 2022 at 18:30 in the Art Gallery
In Conversation
Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in conversation Latika Gupta

On 30 April 2022 at 18:30 in Seminar Rooms I – III
Walking the Himalayas
An illustrated talk by poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue about his recent walk across the Himalayas, from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh

(Collaboration: White Crane Films; with support from the International Campaign for Tibet)

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of paintings in oil 
By Jyoti Nagpal from Delhi

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh on Tuesday, 29 March 2022 at 18:30

Artist Bio

Film on the exhibition  | Click here to watch

The Good Earth
Artist’s Perspective

I have a deep fascination for dense foliage and its changing colours in different seasons, which, to me are symbolic of the eternal cycle of life. I have watched the joyous tenderness of new life in spring turning into strong and lush fullness of summer, uncaring and abundant in its glory, its gradual maturing into the rich colours of autumn. And its graceful softening into the greyness of winter, having lived life to the full, ultimately making way for the new. In so doing, Nature seems to celebrate life in the simple acceptance of the discipline of existence.
Nature represents for me movement, mellowness, warmth, harmony, fulfilment, exuberance, and a celebration of life, indeed the very joie de vivre.
The recent pandemic made everyone painfully aware of the fragile nature of our ecosystem. It reminded us that Mother Nature has a lot of patience. She sends repeated warnings to humankind against misuse, abuse, and overuse of her resources before finally unleashing its fury. The pandemic was a rude realization of how helpless we are against the power of Nature. At the same time, Nature is benevolent and forgiving. She responds instantly to positive efforts of humanity to rectify mistakes.
This collection of paintings is an attempt to portray the beauty of Nature as I observe and perceive it. The lockdown period opened quite another aspect of Nature to me. It was a time for introspection while being cooped up inside homes, a time when one could hear the silence outside, when the skies became blue again instead of polluted grey, when mountain ranges became visible on the horizon, when deer and peacocks ventured out to reclaim their space, when new varieties of birds arrived in flocks, when colourful butterflies reappeared, when squirrels scampered up to you to pick food from your palm. It was a time for resurgence and renewal for Nature. The lockdown was simultaneously a tragedy and an awakening which I have tried to portray in my own way in many paintings of this series.

PHYSICAL EXHIBITION  
  
12 exhibitions curated by fellows of Curatorial Intensive South Asia (CISA) 2021 

Late Echo curated by Aakriti Chandervanshi
Is there a contemporary in Ladakhi Art? curated by Abeer Gupta 
Place a Mirror on my Heart curated by Akramul Momen
Resisting, With Power curated by Dhrupad Mehta
Kitchen to Kacheri curated by Ishita Shah 
Partners in Progress: Ek Kadam Bharat ki aur Curated by Kanika Makhija
An Attempt to Develop the Law of Storms curated by Moakshaa Vohra
COPY-RIGHT curated by Oorja Garg
On a Walk curated by Sayali Mundye
Disobedient Bodies curated by Shirin Fathi
Translations of a Hermit curated by Shivangi Bansal
An Ode to the Anonymous curated by Tenzing Sedonla Ukyab Lama

Preview on Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at 18:00

(Collaboration: Khoj; and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan)