Paper Chronicles

“Paperwork has been second to the canvas for long and it is about time that it got its due credit,” says Siddhartha Tagore,director of Art Konsult,as he prepares for an exhibition titled “The Medium Speaks Back”. Dedicated to art on paper,the exhibition will have 80 works beginning from the pre-independence era. “Among the oldest is a Haren Das etching from the 1930s,in which he depicts fishermen along the Hooghly river,” says Tagore.

The displays range from Raja Ravi Varma prints and cinema posters and lobby cards of Bollywood and Bengali movies to paperwork of veterans like Ram Kinker Baij,Somnath Hore and Rabindranath Tagore. Representing contemporary artists are Mithu Sen,Vibha Galhotra and Puneet Kaushik. “It is fascinating to note the different styles in which artists have worked,” says Tagore,adding that he spent four months putting together the exhibition from works sourced from private collections,including his own.

While a few displays,including the Raja Ravi Varma prints,are common in galleries,there are several rare artwork too. Among these is a letter from Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury’s notepad — dated April 9,1939,it has Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait and a note on his contribution to the Independence movement.

Those familiar with the cutting-edge style of Mithu Sen will find her trees on handmade paper atypical of her oeuvre. “It seems inspired by KG Subramanyan,” observes Tagore. Select works are on sale.

The exhibition is on from July 2-17.
Contact: 26531819