New Narratives : Contemporary Art From India

Contents: Foreword. Introduction. Indian video art and the new narrative matrix by Johan Pijnappel. 1. Looking inward: narratives of the self: i. Gulammohammed Sheikh. ii. Arpita Singh. iii. Hema Hirani Upadhyay. iv. Vivan Sundaram. v. Vasudha Thozhur. vi. Jayashree Chakravarty. vii. Anju Dodiya. 2. Looking outward: Contemporary observations: i. Reena Saini Kallat. ii. Subodh Gupta. iii. N.S. Harsha. iv. Nalini Malani. v. Jitish Kallat. vi. Shilpa Gupta. vii. Ranbir Kaleka. viii. Single-channel video art. 3. Looking backward: Interpreting texts: i. Reena Saini Kallat. ii. Sheba Chhachhi. iii. Nalini Malani. iv. Atul Dodiya. v. Jitish Kallat. Artists biographies. Selected bibliography.

"Contemporary art in India reflects her world-recognition as a major player in the new millennium. The journey from modern to contemporary art in India continues to be one from indigenous to global-interesting with international art at increasingly frequent intervals as time progresses. By making "now" the curatorial priority, this book has a perspective that has been missing from most previous books and exhibitions of 20 century art from India. To celebrate only the "glorious" past would be to miss the point of India\'s rising global presence, and how far she has come since her mid-century independence. It is time to celebrate India\'s artistic independence. Recent works by 24 artists have been selected to represent art-making in India today. This catalog is published in conjunction with an extensive exhibition of paintings photography, sculptures and installations, along with works in video and new media, that opens at the Chicago Cultural Center on 20 July 2007.

This endeavor has involved extensive on-site research in India, New York and elsewhere to produce the first exhibition in the United States to feature only works of the 21 century made in India, with several pieces being created solely for this exhibition." (jacket)