Press Release 5550 S. Greenwood Avenue | Chicago, IL 60637 smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/about/press
Media contact: C.J. Lind 773.702.0175 | cjlind@uchicago.edu
The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989 February 14 – June 9, 2013 | Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 13, 7–8:30 p.m.
Prasanta Mukherjee, Aftermath, 2001
Group exhibition explores India’s culture wars, adds new chapter to the global history of activist art In 1989, playwright, actor, and activist Safdar Hashmi was fatally attacked by political thugs while performing a street play outside of Delhi. His death led to the founding of Sahmat, a vital platform for contemporary art in India and the subject of a new exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. Through a mix of art and ephemera, The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989 (February 14 – June 9, 2013) uniquely situates two decades of contemporary Indian art within the political sphere while meditating on art’s capacity as a force for change. “For the American viewer it may help to see these works in the context of the ‘culture wars’ as they are playing out in India,” said co-curator Ram Rahman. “Sahmat’s projects also reflect the camaraderie and community spirit of the Indian art scene, where artists of different generations and philosophical outlooks still have a close-knit sense of community and purpose.” Sahmat is both an acronym for the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust and the Hindi word for “in agreement.” Based in Delhi, the group pursues a mission of resistance against the forces that threaten “the essentially pluralist and democratic spirit of creative expression in India.” To this end, Sahmat has engaged a broad base of collaborators—from celebrated artists and scholars to writers, musicians, and rickshaw drivers—to create and present works of art that defend freedom of expression and battle intolerance within India’s often divisive political landscape. The exhibition will introduce Sahmat to the United States by examining key projects from 1989 to the present day, including street-based mobile shows, large cultural sit-ins, performances, and conceptual exhibitions. In addition to surveying Sahmat’s multifaceted history, the exhibition will assess the impact this unique—and sometimes controversial—collective has had on contemporary Indian society and artistic practice. The Sahmat Collective is co-curated by Jessica Moss, Smart Museum Associate Curator for Contemporary Art, and Ram Rahman, a photographer and independent curator. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Wednesday, February 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and its themes will be considered in greater depth during Voices of Change, a program that combines a panel discussion with performances on February 16 at 2 p.m.
Left: Rummana Hussain, Untitled, 1997 Right: Tyeb Mehta, Falling Figure, 1992
Exhibiting artists A full checklist and high-resolution images of works in the exhibition are available upon request, please contact C.J. Lind at cjlind@uchicago.edu or 773.702.0176. The Sahmat Collective includes works in a variety of media from over sixty artists including Manjeet Bawa, Atul Dodiya, Subodh Gupta, Zarina Hashmi, Rummana Husain, Bharti Kher, Pushpamala N., Nalini Malani, Gigi Scaria, Nilima Sheikh, and Vivan Sundaram. Safdar Hasmi and the founding of Sahmat Safdar Hashmi (1954–1989) was a political activist, actor, playwright, poet, and founding member of the street theater group Jana Natya Manch, or Janam (“birth”) for short. Like many of his generation in India, he was deeply committed to secularism and egalitarianism—principles that drove the nation’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule. He helped build Janam into a forum for democratic and accessible theater aimed at political change. On January 1, 1989, Hashmi and Janam were violently attacked while performing the play Halla Bol! (Raise Your Voice!) during municipal elections outside of Delhi. Hashmi died of his injuries the next day. His death aroused a nationwide wave of revulsion against political violence and led to the founding of Sahmat. Exhibition themes and sections In the more than twenty years since Hashmi’s death, Sahmat has drawn on India’s secular heritage and an expansive group of collaborators to produce a series of projects that engage in political and social debates through both traditional and less conventional forms of art. The Sahmat Collective is divided into a twelve case studies of key themes and projects: Sahmat’s Beginnings (1989), Children’s Books (1989–1990), Images and Words (1991–1992), Slogans for Communal Harmony (1992), Ayodha: the Demolition of the Babri Masjid and After (1992– 1993), Tribute to Gandhi (1994–1995), Gift for India (1997), Art on the Move (2001), Ways of
Hand-painted auto-rickshaw, Slogans for Communal Harmony, 1992
Resisting (2002–2003), Reasserting Secularism (2004– 2007), Free Speech and Defending Husain (1996– ongoing), and Performance (1989–ongoing). These projects are defined in part by their consistent stance against the threat of religious fundamentalism and sectarianism—known in South Asia as “communalism”—in public life. Collaborations have cut across class, caste, and religious lines and have involved artists, performers, scholars, and a wide array of other participants, such as the Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim auto-rickshaw drivers in the contest “Slogans for Communal Harmony.” Projects also have sought to counter political distortions to India’s history, most notably in Sahmat’s multifaceted response to the demolition of Babri Masjid (Babur’s Mosque) in Ayodhya. In other cases, Sahmat has sought to celebrate India’s cultural diversity and democratic ideals, engaging artists to create work that responds to ideas of national history and individual identity. Free public programs Unless noted, all programs are free and open to the public and take place at the Smart Museum of Art. The public may register for lectures and tours at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar/register. Wednesday, February 13, 7–8:30 pm Opening Reception Come together and celebrate the transformative power of art at the opening reception for the Smart’s new exhibition exploring art and activism in India. The evening features performances by sitarist Rakae Jamil, the UChicago South Asian vocal ensemble Sugaraga, and the UChicago classical Indian dance group Apsara. Saturday, February 16, 2 pm Voices of Resistance Logan Center for the Arts, The University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th Street, Performance Penthouse Artists, poets, musicians, filmmakers, and scholars come together to share their work and discuss art’s ability to catalyze social and political action. The performances, readings, and conversations expand upon the ideas presented in The Sahmat Collective. Participants include Madan Gopal Singh, a scholar, composer, and musician; Amie Maciszewski, a musician, filmmaker, and ethnomusicologist; Kaley Mason, Assistant Professor of Music and a member of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies at the University of Chicago; Ram Rahman, exhibition co-curator and photographer; Srikanth (Chicu) Reddy, a poet and Assistant Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago; and Gigi Scaria, visual artist whose site-specific work City Unclaimed is on view at the Smart. Free, but space is limited. Please register in advance at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar/register.
Related program Saturday, February 16, 4:30 pm Film Screening: Disrupted Divas, Conflicting Pathways Logan Center for the Arts, The University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th Street, Film Screening Room This ethnographic point-of-view documentary looks at the lives of socially marginalized women singers and dancers, referred to as tawaif, in three communities in North India. While tawaifs once commanded respect as artists and divas, they now face disrepute and struggle against exploitation. 2010, directed by Amie Maciszewski, DVD, 51 minutes The Voices of Resistance program and the related screening are presented by the University of Chicago’s Department of Music, Committee on Southern Asian Studies, Center for International Studies, Film Studies Center, and the Smart Museum of Art. Saturday, March 2, 1–4 pm Family Day: Books for a Better World Drop by for free family fun! This Saturday, get inspired by looking at illustrated children’s books from India during a family tour of The Sahmat Collective. Then make your own storybook about harmony and acceptance. All ages welcome. Activities are designed for children 4–12. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Saturday, March 23, 2 pm Curator Tour: The Sahmat Collective Meet exhibition co-curator Jessica Moss and explore how artists in India have inspired social and political dialogue through provocative and engaging public actions. Free, but space is limited. Please register in advance at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar/register. Friday, April 5, noon Object/Subjective There is no one way to look at art. In a new lunchtime discussion series, the Smart invites two special guests to reflect on and share their unique perspectives on a single work of art in our galleries. Join in the looking, participate in the dialogue, and continue the conversation over lunch in the Smart café. On this Friday, William Mazarella, a professor of Anthropology and expert on public culture in India, and Angie Tillges, associate artistic director at Redmoon, discuss public affect and the shared witness of spectacle. Free, but space is limited. Please register in advance at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar/register. Friday, May 17, noon Object/Subjective During this lunchtime talk, Rebecca Zorach, a professor of Art History specializing in activist art, and Leela Gandhi, an expert in Indo-Anglican literature and postcolonial theory, offer their
subjective takes on Sahmat’s pluralist, collective projects. Free, but space is limited. Please register in advance at smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar/register. Note: Additional programs, performances, and screenings to be announced in the near future.
Left: Krishna and Brahma, Late 19th/early 20th century Right: Gigi Scaria, digital sketch of City Unclaimed, 2013
Related exhibitions The Smart Museum presents two related projects. Divine and Princely Realms (on view through April 28) is a small exhibition of traditional art from the Smart’s collection, and reveals the layers of history and unique racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity of the Indian sub-continent. Delhi-based artist and Sahmat collaborator Gigi Scaria will create a site-specific installation within the Smart’s lobby as part of the annual Threshold series. City Unclaimed (January 19– December 8, 2013) combines an immersive photo-based mural of an imaginary Delhi cityscape with a 12-foot high working fountain that references the city’s architecture. The work reveals the complex layers and stark contrasts of the megapolis, which “grows and decays by its own logic.” Exhibition catalogue The Sahmat Collective is accompanied by a substantial, full-color publication that offers new interdisciplinary perspectives on Sahmat as well as investigations into India’s history, politics, and culture from scholars, members of Sahmat, and other specialists. It includes interviews with artists and organizers of various Sahmat projects, reprints of original articles, essays by cocurators Jessica Moss and Ram Rahman, and contributions by musician and scholar Madan Gopal Singh; art critic and historian Geeta Kapur; economic philosopher Prabhat Patnaik; art historian and anthropologist Karin Zitzewitz (Michigan State University); and anthropologist William Mazzarella (The University of Chicago); and art historian Rebecca Zorach (The University of Chicago). The book will be available this February in the Smart Shop. It is distributed by the University of Chicago Press. Curators The Sahmat Collective is curated by Jessica Moss, Smart Museum Associate Curator for Contemporary Art, and Ram Rahman, photographer and independent curator.
Support The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India since 1989 is made possible by The Smart Family Foundation; Helen Zell; the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund; The Joyce Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Larry & Marilyn Fields; Barbara Fosco, The Fosco Family Foundation; and Lisa and Michael Kornick. ### About the Smart Museum of Art As the art museum of the University of Chicago, the Smart Museum of Art is home to acclaimed special exhibitions and a permanent collection that spans five thousand years of artistic creation. Working in close collaboration with scholars from the University of Chicago, the Smart has established itself as a leading academic art museum and an engine of adventurous thinking about the visual arts and their place in society.
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