With physical art galleries shut around the world, a digital exhibitions platform created in partnership between 12 galleries from India and Dubai is bringing together a diverse range of programs and artists, and presenting online exhibitions during this unprecedented downtime.
Titled ”In Touch”, the platform enables the art community to connect with each other through organized and synergistic exhibition-making that challenges traditional formats of engaging with art and brings together a diverse range of onlineprograms and exhibitions. It is now in its second edition and runs from June 5 — July 5 this year.
The participating galleries are Chemould Prescott Road, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Sakshi Gallery (all Mumbai), Experimenter (Kolkata), Gallery Espace, Nature Morte, PHOTOINK, Vadehra Art Gallery (all Delhi), Green Art Gallery, Grey Noise, The Third Line (all Dubai) and GALLERYSKE (Bangalore/New Delhi).
As per Ranjana Steinruecke, director, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, “galleries are continually exploring ways to reach out to their audiences, and collaboration is certainly the way to go. Initiatives like Art Night Thursday and Mumbai Gallery Weekend too started modestly but as they gained steam, became hugely popular. The need of the hour in the South Asian art context is technological innovation which is more likely to happen if we put our heads together. In Touch is one step in that direction”.
Nature Morte”s director Aparajita Jain says that the gallery is exhibiting a selection of 12 works that speak to our challenging times, and in which they hope one will “discover things that balm, cajole, perplex, and titillate”. Chemould Prescott Road”s director Shireen Gandhy shared that they have curated a group of artists who have worked with photography as a medium of expression.
According to the galleries, the initiative was conceived as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused an unprecedented physical closure of public spaces and cultural institutions worldwide. Editions of ”In Touch” are on view for a month with each gallery presenting an exhibition that changes with every following iteration.
“In these unprecedented times, when borders across the world remain closed, we look forward to remaining connected with our art world friends everywhere, through effective digital opportunities such as this. Our presentation for this edition includes exciting new works by emerging artists such as Shrimanti Saha, South Asian diasporic artists such as Faiza Butt and Delhi-based contemporary artist, Jagannath Panda and contemporary sculptor Sumedh Rajendran. There are also beautiful paintings by Atul Dodiya and Sudhir Patwardhan, a painted mattress by Anju Dodiya, and a light installation by Shilpa Gupta. We are proud to have a selection which varies in medium and generations of artists, and one that comes together to form a repertoire of poignant experiences,” says Parul Vadehra, director, Vadehra Art Gallery.
Dubai”s The Third Line is participating with a selection of Laleh Khorramian”s works. Its co-founder Sunny Rahbar said the online exhibition platform “is a great example of how the art world is coming together to overcome the adversities of this global pandemic.”
The website – www.artintouch.in – hosts dedicated sections for each gallery”s exhibitions through which viewers can consider the works on view and directly reach the participating galleries. The In Touch platform will additionally host collateral online programming, including gallerist connects and artist talks conducted digitally.
