Kim Yang-shik, the president of Tagore Society of Korea and Indian Art Museum, a poet and Padmashree awardee, first visited Chennai, then Madras, in 1975 at an Asian artists’ meet and even recorded her impressions of the country in poems. In The Day Breaks, she writes, “…Have I ever dreamed of, such an amazing land?” Kim is now back in her favourite city in the country, this time as a curator of the Korean section of the exhibition, The Emerging Canvas, that brings together the works of 16 upcoming artists — eight from India and eight from Korea.
The Indian section has been curated by Lalit Kala Akademi that has managed to pick works of artists from as far as Maharashtra and West Bengal that complement those of the Korean artists. Together, the vibrant canvases weave a narrative about the promise the future holds for artists in both countries — while some have used conventional methods to talk about contemporary issues, others have taken on the challenging task of talking about conventions through new mediums and styles, maintaining the change-continuity momentum.
All about aspirations
Kishor Digambarrao Ingale from Nagpur, whose works are about aspirations and have a graffiti-like quality, says, “It’s been interesting to see what these young Korean artists are working on. They are taking art to the next level with a lot of digital work, and it is good for art.” Two of Kishor’s works I Want To Be A Light and I Want To Be A Press are part of the exhibit. The painting juxtaposes an image of the poster of Amir Gharib with two lamps — one with a bulb and the other without.
Nabanita Guha, whose primary concerns in art have been empowerment of women and an acknowledgement of their independence, says, “The political messages in some of the artworks of the Korean youngsters have definitely struck a chord with me.”
Park, Jong Pil’s Between The Fresh No14-1, Between The Fresh No.14-2 on display says, “The Indian artists’ work here is very philosophical and emotional. They express their questions and concerns about life through their work.” His own work is deeply entrenched in the philosophy of dual meanings that everything in life possesses.
The other artists from Korea whose works have been featured are E Tae-Hoon; Kim Ji-Young; An, Ga-Young; Jimin Park; Lee Seungmin; Yoon, Byung Woon; and Hwang Ji-Soo along with the works of Indian artists Naveen Kumar A., Kasa Vinay Kumaar, Pradeep Kumar D.M., Sunila Lohar, Suresh Krishna Murthy and Vasantha Kumar R.
(The exhibition is on till December 11 at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road)
