Emami Art hosts Lyrical Sensibilities
An Online Fundraiser Exhibition for the Covid pandemic relief
Features serigraphs by eminent artist Shri Jogen Chowdhury
Kolkata: In the time when the deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc with the lives of hundreds and thousands of people in the country, Emami Art, one of India’s leading contemporary art galleries hosts an online fundraiser exhibition ‘Lyrical Sensibilities’, in a modest endeavour to complement some continuing pandemic relief efforts.
The exhibition features some of the signed, limited edition serigraphs by the eminent artist Shri Jogen Chowdhury that comprise two distinct styles for which he is widely known — the crosshatchings of flaccid, sensuous iconographies, both Gods and men and the black brush drawings tinted with colours, which show the calligraphic rhythm and simplicity as well as the organic unity between man and nature.
A percentage of the proceeds of the sale of the artworks will go towards rehabilitating communities that are suffering due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The fundraiser exhibition is on till 12th June 2021 and can be viewed at www.emamiart.com
About Jogen Chowdhury
Renowned for successfully merging traditional imagery in modern paintings, Jogen Chowdhury is a leading artist of our times. Born in Faridpur, Bangladesh, 1939, Chowdhury graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, in 1960, and subsequently received scholarship from the French government and went on to study at the Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1967.
It was after returning from France in the late 1960s that Chowdhury developed his individual style. Always a powerful artist, Chowdhury’s forte is painting in ink, watercolour and pastel. A favourite largely for his line drawings with ink, he explores the soft curves and angularities of contorted bodies using ink combined with pastels. Chowdhury freely uses the technique of crosshatching in his ink and pastel works. This has become the most discernible feature of Chowdhury’s style. He constructs volume by modulating light and shade and uses cross-hatching to develop an illusion of middle tonalities.
Chowdhury’s notable exhibitions include, “Jogen Chowdhury: Formative to Recent”, CIMA at Kolkata, in 2014; “Lignes de Meditation”, Gallery Veda at Chennai in 2012-2013; ‘A Calligraphy of Touch and Gaze”, presented by Kalakriti Art Gallery at ICIA, Mumbai, in 2008. Chowdhury has also had solo exhibitions at Gajah Gallery, Singapore; Gallerie Foundation for Indian Artists, Amsterdam and the Fine Art Resource, Berlin.
Chowdhury was honourable jury member, Singapore biennale exhibition of art, Singapore, in 2003 and was honoured with the Kalidas Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh, in 2001. In 1986, he received an award at the second biennale of Havana, Cuba. He was awarded the Prix le France de la Jeune Peinture at Paris, in 1966. His artworks are part of important collections in India and abroad.
Jogen Chowdhury lives and works out of New Delhi, Santiniketan and Kolkata.
About Emami Art
Emami Art, one of the most significant art institutions in the eastern part of India, is a key space for cultural production in the region. The organisation is focused on a future-forward, complex, multi-dimensional approach and steadfast in the advocacy of emerging, mid-career and established artists as well as an engagement with contemporary and historical material. The gallery aims to create dynamic, wide-ranging registers of exhibition-making and viewing.
In addition to hosting exhibitions, participating in art fairs and events of national and international import, Emami Art has a diverse parallel programming. With afocus on engagement with the region and beyond through continuous short and long-term projects, Emami Arthas launched EA Locus in Focus, EA Co-labs (Collaborative Programme) EA Initiative (Public art endeavors) andEA Hybridwhich integrates both the physical and virtual interfaces. Other programs include EA Incubatorthat comprises of mentorship programs, workshops, residency opportunities and innovative educational activities that facilitate artistic development, help build networks of collaboration and provide a supportive environment for emerging talent. As a centre of excellence, Emami Art wishes to be identified as a platform rather than just a facility.
Critical discourses, interactions, documentation and exchange are also essential to our agenda. Under the umbrella of EA Discourse, we are committed to developing and producing original writing, artist’s books, monographs, periodicals and catalogues that will focus on artistic, creative and pedagogical materials. Furthermore, the EACommunicatorlineup of talks, seminars, panel discussions and conversations with artists, curators and key partners provides a space for critical engagement as part of our knowledge-making and archiving process.
Deeply committed to promoting a regional, national and international agenda through innovative and alternative programming, emphasis on community and socially relevant engagements, institutional partnerships and more via a multi-year vision for the future, Emami Art is resolute to be a catalyst of change, research, innovation and inclusivity.
