ART-PRESENTATION: Amar Kanwar
In 1984, while Amar Kanwar was studying history at the University of Delhi, two events occurred that impacted his subsequent philosophical and artistic development. On October, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards, resulting in mass retaliatory violence against Sikhs in Delhi. Then, on the night of December 2-3, a toxic gas leak at the Union Carbide pesticide plant, known as the Bhopal disaster, killed thousands of people and exposed hundreds of thousands more. These pivotal experiences instilled in Kanwar a commitment to social activism.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Two concurrent exhibitions of Amar Kanwar are on presentation across the United Arab Emirates, “Such a Morning” at Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai and “The Sovereign Forest” at The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery. “Such a Morning” (2017) is a feature-length film installation, which premiered internationally at documenta 14. The fictional narrative which follows two central characters who grapple with a hallucinatory world is a parable for the complex challenges of our times. Kanwar asks: “What is it that lies beyond, when all arguments are done with? How to reconfigure and respond again?” The film follows an aging mathematics professor who retreats from his career, seeking isolation in an abandoned train carriage. Creating a zone of darkness so as to acclimatize himself before total darkness descends, the professor begins to live in a realm bereft of light. The many iterations and sensory possibilities of darkness and visibility are explored as he gradually screens out all the light and enters a subjective world. A parallel story about a woman emerges within the course of the film, providing a compelling, analogous narrative to the protagonist’s. Meanwhile, the professor records his epiphanies and visions in an almanac of the dark, an examination of 49 types of darkness that emerge as a series of letters which are exhibited alongside the film. Kanwar conceived a narrative that continues beyond the film – the professor continues to write his letters – towards a research project with diverse artistic, pedagogic, metaphysical, and political collaborations. These become the rubric for a continuing project, and are at the core of the series of hand-made “Letters” that accompany the film. The seven “Letters” contain texts, 17 video projections, and 45 light projections. The train coach built for the film remains in Delhi, a memorial for the teacher who refused to conform, who stepped off the tracks, and wandered into the wild. The themes of survival and perseverance are deep sources to draw on, resulting in a thoughtprovoking and compelling presentation. Such a Morning offers a rich lens for audiences to contemplate these core themes from a South Asian perspective, focusing on issues relevant to global audiences today.
“The Sovereign Forest” (2011- ) is an ongoing multimedia installation that is a creative response to crime, politics, human rights, and ecological crisis. It evolved out of the political and environmental conflict in the resource-rich, and largely tribal Indian state of Odisha. Kanwar has been observing and documenting the industrial interventions that have irrevocably altered Odisha’s landscape for more than a decade. “The Sovereign Forest” is a long-term commitment of the artist with media activist Sudhir Pattnaik, and designer and filmmaker Sherna Dastur. Multiple works make up “The Sovereign Forest”, which has appeared in different iterations. At its core are two films: “The Scene of the Crime” (2011), a film that documents landscapes selected for industrial development prior to their obliteration, and “A Love Story” (2010), about the experience of that loss. Also, the installation includes three large handmade books, “The Counting Sisters and Other Stories” (2011), “The Prediction” (1991-2012), and “The Constitution” (2012) with their own films projected on its pages. Containing local fables, stories of the incarcerated, and pieces of “evidence” such as a fishing net, a cloth garment, rice seeds, a betel leaf, and newspaper embedded inside the paper, visitors are encouraged to turn the pages and read these stories. In an adjacent gallery, an edition of “The Listening Bench” (2013) also is presented, where visitors can hear an audio track from the project.
Info: Ishara Art Foundation, A3, Alserkal Avenue, Street 17, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, Duration: 19/1-19/5/20, Days & Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00, www.ishara.org & The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, New York Univercity, Saadiyat Marina District, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, Duration: 22/1-30/5/20, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 12:00-18:00, www.nyuad-artgallery.org
