Protests by artists, beyond political

An exhibition at Progressive Art Gallery in Dubai highlights how individual artistic journeys defied stereotypes and shaped collective movements and dialogues

Written by Vandana Kalra

New Delhi | May 13, 2025 11:37 AM IST

3 min read

S H Raza, Le Village, 1956, Oil on canvas art, 18 x 22 inches

S H Raza, Le Village, 1956, Oil on canvas, 18 x 22 inches

Does art necessarily need to be overtly political to challenge the establishment? Can resistance be wielded by rejecting rigid ideologies or attempting to assert individuality?

The exhibition “Intertwined: Revisitation of the Indian Art Narrative” at Progressive Art Gallery in Dubai attempts to ask these questions through the works of some of India’s most significant artists. “Art’s relevance lies not in the adherence to any ideology, but in its potential to dare, to question, and to unearth the unseen truths of its time,” states curator Wendy Amanda Coutinho.

On the walls in the gallery are works of India’s most significant modernists, from founders of the formidable Progressive Artists’ Group — MF Husain, SH Raza, FN Souza, KH Ara, HA Gade and SK Bakre to artists KG Subramanyan, VS Gaitonde, Jehangir Sabavala, Bhupen Khakhar and J Swaminathan. “The exhibition assembles an ensemble of artists whose legacies are intricately connected to the currents of protest — political and personal — that defied and defined their time. These interconnections reexamine the individual artistic journeys that shaped collective movements and dialogues, spanning generations, challenging and questioning the status quo,” notes Coutinho.

Jehangir Sabavala, Mirage, 1966, Oil on canvas, 41 x 33 inches

Primarily selected from the gallery collection, the display includes works that signify transitions in artistic practices. Among others is SH Raza’s 1956 Le Village, painted in gestural brushstrokes to depict his early impressions of European village-scapes years after he moved to Paris in 1951, as well as his 1990 canvas Genesis, where his trademark bindu occupies the centre.

If Jehangir Sabavala’s 1966 Mirage has two shrouded figures seated in an arid desert, Ram Kumar is represented by an abstract landscape in an untitled 1992 canvas. J Swaminathan’s 1971 oil on canvas comes from the period when he was embarking on a new pictorial language of conceptual landscapes. Sohan Quadri’s meditative abstract comes from his dot series, and Sakti Burman has a playful canvas Musicians Playing for Krishna.

Arpita Singh — whose first solo institutional exhibition outside India is currently on at the prestigious Serpentine North Gallery in London — is represented by a 1974 ink and watercolour on paper.

Husain — the maverick for whom Dubai was also home for a brief period in his latter years — is represented, among others, by his trademark horses in Murano glass. “The artists featured in the exhibition have not only redefined creative boundaries but have also placed India on the global artistic map with their bold visions and timeless works.

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Through this exhibition, we celebrate their individuality and the profound impact they’ve had on art and culture, not only back home, but worldwide,” notes Harshvardhan Singh, Director of Progressive Art Gallery — incidentally, named by Husain.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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