Masters & Prodigies: Galleri Kaya’s exhibition on Indian artists

Galleri Kaya, one of the prominent art galleries in Bangladesh, inaugurated the exhibition "Masters & Prodigies," showcasing contemporary and modern graphics of Indian artists on February 28, 2021. The exhibition will run till March 16. 

For two weeks, visitors got to see powerful artworks of notable Indian artists. From M F Husain to K J Subramanyan, 67 artworks by 34 Indian artists were displayed in the exhibition.

Vikram Kumar Doraiswami, High Commission of India to Bangladesh, inaugurated the exhibition.

Since the shutdown last year, Masters & Prodigies marked the first physical exhibition at Galleri Kaya after almost a yearlong hiatus. Although Galleri Kaya continued to cater to art connoisseurs in the form of virtual exhibitions, the gallery has finally returned to its roots.

TBS Picks

Out of a collection of 67 artworks, TBS picks four paintings by four artists that stand out.

1.    Untitled by M F Husain (1990)

This artwork by M F Hussain is a silkscreen on paper graphic. Husain is arguably a cult figure in the Indian art scene. After independence of India, Husain with some other artists created a vibrant movement to extricate Indian art from formulaic colonial displays of Indian scenes. "Untitled" is no exception. Husain is prominent for using mythical elements in his paintings. This painting depicts horses painted in white stripes, mingling with each other, with a black backdrop. Be it wall to large canvas as well as serigraph prints, Husain always shows his mastery of scale.

2.    Untitled-1 by Somnath Hore (1969) 

In the printmaking world, Somnath Hore (1921-2006) proved himself to be one of the top practitioners of unique art forms with ardent simplicity. Untitled-1, one of the two paintings in the exhibition, is a lithograph on paper graphic. Humanitarian plea is a recurring theme of Hore's work. Untitled-1 hints at the sufferings of the social classes in the Bengal famine of 1943. Hore developed his pulp print technique which expresses the delineation of wounded humanity. This painting is a testament to Hore's mastery in printmaking.

3.    Untitled-3 by K.G. Subramanyan (1924-2016)

K.G. Subramanyan was not only a brilliant artist, but also a notable scholar. He is still a major influencer in the art world. A visiting fellow in Oxford, an artist in residence at the Museum of Modern Art, Subramanyan had explored many art mediums. His painting Untitled-3 (1968), an etching artwork, reverberates metaphoric figural dynamics. His sensual depiction showcases human figures, birds and beasts, trees and foliage with prominent black graphic lines. He mixes folklore, mythology and politics in his expressive objectification.

4.    Boy looking his father by Swarup Basak (2020)

Swarup Basak has established himself as an expert printmaker through his dexterous manipulation of different mediums of graphic art. "Boy looking his father" is a woodcut print painting. His compositions reveal a distant observer's gaze on the events and happenings in the fast city life. His application of the lighter shades of blue, brown and grey adds an illusive quality to his prints and canvas. His figures seem to be in a duology with their second existence.