Tale of three cities

Bagchi takes a copy of the second edition of Luxemburg’s book down from the shelf — its in German,but this is a collectors item,a relic of the past that is stimulating thoughts of the future. “The book came out almost 100 years ago but the issues it deals with are still relevant. We as artists are no longer on the periphery,but we are in the centre of capitalism. We have to deal with it in a manner where it touches our own lives,” says Narula.

The month-long exhibition,that will take place at Mumbai’s Project 88,October 20 onwards,consists of a central piece: A 50-minute twin channel video diptych. There are a series of photographs titled The Perpetual Recall of the Penultimate Afternoon that trace the footsteps of Luxemberg’s last days in Berlin. There are also two installations and one sculptural work. Over Time consists of objects that denote the days of the week,where Monday is the ruler and Sunday the notebook. A sculptural piece Rules to be Invented,made up of chess set,reinvents the game play with knights and dice. “The game topples the idea that we are mere pawns fighting for the king,we are in fact all knights,” says Bagchi. A flickering light installation titled Revoltage refers to the fact that Luxemburg had a light bulb factory named after her.

“The works are not a slavish reproduction of the book but visually unravel the connections between these cities,while reclaiming our right to react. We are not petrified to stone,we are not cynical or collapsing and we want to explore the possibilities of the power of engaging with the people who produce power,” says Sengupta.

The video work is a stimulating combination of stills,moving images,sounds,poems and text and discusses of the connection between the three cities,through the process of industrialisation. While juxtaposing images of Mumbai and Berlin,the artists even find a statue of a woman in a saree in Berlin. The most beautiful metaphor for the city are the lines: “When a surface cracks the crack becomes the surface”.