InTouch is an online digital exhibition, bringing together galleries from the Middle East and South East Asia. It aims to create an organised and synergistic platform for the galleries to collaborate, and challenge traditional formats of engaging with art.

Provocative works which caught my eye:

The collages of Maya Varadaraj use vintage images drawn from popular culture of India, to manipulate them into concentricity.

This particular piece represents a woman, questioning her status and history. The centrifugal quality adds a hypnotic character to the piece, transporting the viewer to an alternate universe. Its composition is minimalistic as compared to other Varadaraj pieces exhibited, with the subject’s face as a clear focal point. What is interesting is the subject’s Madonna-like character. She has her head covered with a dark robe; gold embellishments framing her face. She expels a pious, divine nature. She stands as a symbol of life, royalty and purity. 

Dhruvi Acharya is a well-known artist within the industry fabric of India. She is known to be a familiar face represented by one of the most recognised gallery of the country, Chemould Prescott Road in Mumbai. The exhibition, Elusive Recesses, showcases her ink and watercolour works which were made in isolation during the COVID pandemic. They confront the unrest that 2020 brought to the world, including natural disasters, political upheaval in addition to crimes against minorities and women.

The composition of ‘Fifth Elusive Recess’ has a strong textural and compositional quality, drawing the viewer’s eye to the right. While the backdrop balances the image. Presumably, this work points at the patriarchal society prominent in India, with the subject’s defeated heart interlinked with partition of her hair, which holds a sacred place (for vermillion) within Indian culture.

Latif Al Ani’s photographs shed light on ‘heritage lost'. Much of modern Iraq is either lost or is known to the world as a product of conflict. Ani, from the late 1950s to the late 70s, captured the vanishing pageant of Iraqi society. He focussed on not just beauty of his land but also the culture of his people, touching base on the architecture, landscapes and streetscapes. His exhibit of these images is a result of the protection given by the Arab Image Foundation. He ceased shooting from 1979 as Saddam Hussein came to power which led to an invasion by the USA within Iraqi turf.

This particular piece is a quintessential Ani, as it reflects a sense of calm before the country was struck by violence; capturing local architectural ruins as well as natural beauty of the countryside, with the sheep grazing with ease.

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©Shristi Sainani
December 2020