This is an archive article published on June 22, 2018

Voices from the Valley: 60 Kashmiri artists from world over come together for an exhibition

The artists aim to promote the idea of peace, harmony, and togetherness through the medium of art in Srinagar. For decades no major exhibition has been held in the Valley. The first time a significant exhibition of modern art was held in Srinagar was in June 1948, exactly 70 years ago.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 22, 2018 05:10 PM IST

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Being held at the historic Silk Factory in Srinagar the showcase, curated by Munshi, brings together 60 Kashmiri artists from the valley and the diaspora.

A young graduate from MS University in Baroda back then, artist Veer Munshi recalls how in the 1980s he would often sit with his easel in his Anantnag home to paint in the tranquil surroundings. He would have never have imagined being forced to flee from home, as he had to in 1990. Three years later, the home was burned down but its memories have influenced Munshi’s work since.

Over the last few months discussions regarding home have become even more frequent for him as Munshi has been interacting with Kashmiri artists based across the world to put together their work in the exhibition “Concurse”. Being held at the historic Silk Factory in Srinagar the showcase, curated by Munshi, brings together 60 Kashmiri artists from the valley and the diaspora. If artist Syed Mujtaba Rizvi paints the words “Memory”, “Homeland” and “Identity” against a white backdrop, in Munshi’s installation a wooden boat is suspended upside down with metal bars, and Khytul Abyad sketches a map of Srinagar with bottles of spring water from Anantnag placed before on a table. Found objects from the factory, primarily machine parts, form another installation by Munshi.

Featuring works by veterans, such as Som Nath Bhat, Triloke Koul, Syed Haider Raza and PN Kachru, the exhibition combines propaganda and art.

“This project is not just historically significant due to its creative and cultural value but also as it aims to promote the idea of peace, harmony, and togetherness through the medium of art,” says Rizvi, founder of Kashmir Art Quest, an international contemporary arts foundation based in Kashmir that has organised the exhibition. He points out how for decades no major exhibition has been held in the Valley. The first time a significant exhibition of modern art was held in Srinagar was in June 1948, exactly 70 years ago. Featuring works by veterans, such as Som Nath Bhat, Triloke Koul, Syed Haider Raza and PN Kachru, the exhibition, he says, “combined propaganda and art”. While artists from across India continued to meet at Riviera, a modest restaurant on the bund in Srinagar, the famous Nedous hotel also hosted shows of artists such as Triloke Koul and Ratan Parimoo. In 1974, GR Santosh held a solo at the Teacher’s Training College. “Concourse evaluates the present state of Kashmiri contemporary art to determine the challenges and successes faced by Kashmiri artists and those involved in art-making in a Kashmiri context, and to examine the current status of the Kashmiri contemporary art community. Through this exhibition, multiple streams of dialogue will be initiated to establish a greater foundation for established and emerging artists, creating pathways of discussion with curators, critics, and panelists from within Kashmir and abroad,” says Rizvi.

The exhibition in on till June 24.

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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