His aunt, the late Amrita Sher-Gil, left a legacy that inclined him towards art. This lecture constructs an account of radical art practice in India through two seminal figures: Vivan Sundaram, the contemporary Delhi-based artist, and Geeta Kapur, the pre-eminent theorist, critic, and curator, and most significant interlocutor of the post-1968 avant-garde generation to which Sundaram belongs. Re-take of ‘Amrita’ is a series of black and white digital photomontages based on archival photographs from the Sher-Gil family. Related Categories. University of Washington Press, 2015. Sundaram, a pioneer both of installations and of avant garde art in India, is at his most chilling when he speaks to human suffering. Since 1990 he has turned to making artworks as sculpture, installation, photography and video. The retrospective careens through different shifts in Sundaram’s art practice and his explorative approaches. His works in the 1980s showed a tendency towards figurative representations, and dealt with problems of identity. May 25th, 2013. From Francis Alÿs and Ursula Biemann to Vivan Sundaram, Allora & Calzadilla, and the Center for Urban Pedagogy, some of the most compelling artists today are engaging with the politics of land use, including the growth of the global economy, climate change, sustainability, Occupy movements, and the privatization of public space. Dell Upton What Can and Can’t Be Said: Race, Uplift, and Monument Building in the Contemporary South Yale University Press, 2015. Since 1990 he has turned to making artworks as sculpture, installation, photography and video. Vivan is a key figure in Indian contemporary art who has moved away from the enterprise of easel painting into the realm of versatile mediums over … 1400 postcard-sized photographs in metal frames in a circular floor installation, 300cm diameter x 30 cm height. Sundaram's transition into installation art was mediated by the body of work he's perhaps best known for -- experiments with his family's photographic archives. The installation titled Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946. Art Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised his installation for the upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale. Vivan Sundaram (b.1943) is an artist and activist who is a pioneer of installation art in India, along with a sustained interest in collaborations and artist-run spaces. Memorial 1993–2014 is a room-size installation by Vivan Sundaram that comprises a number of smaller parts that are individually titled.The work was created in response to violent conflict between Hindu and Muslim groups in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the early 1990s. His latest show, “GAGAWAKA: Making Strange” at Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi, argues Sundaram’s case with forty-five elaborate “wearable sculptures” made in collaboration with designer Pratima Pandey. According to Ashish Rajadhyaksha, ‘As recently as three years ago, Vivan Sundaram was described by a colleague as firmly implanted in an oil-painting tradition “inherited from the grandest years of European Figurative painting”. Vivan Sundaram Just as site specific installations take from architecture the plan and structure of objects in space, theatre is present within installation practice as a performative mis-enscène. Collection of the artist, New Delhi. The positioning of sculptural forms, the presence of the (spectator’s) body within an immersive ambience; these and many other attributes make installation art and theatre twinned genres. [5] His latest installations and videos often refer to his artistic influences, among them are Dadaism, Surrealism, as well as more recent Fluxus[4] and the works of Joseph Beuys. 1990 ‘Vivan Sundaram’, directed by Asha Narang Spaak. First as a painter and subsequently in large-scale conceptual installations, Vivan Sundaram ‘s artistic practice has responded to contemporary politics with radical vanguardism. Sundaram is an artist who has been consistent in his pursuit of politically honed art. Since 1990 he had made installations that include sculpture, photographs and video. (Co-edited with Kavita Singh), No Touching, No Spitting, No Praying: The Museum in South Asia. He was among the first Indian artists to work with installation. He is married to eminent art historian and critic Geeta Kapur. Since 1990 he has turned to making artworks as sculpture, installation, photography and video. Kapur and Sundaram's archive thus encompasses multiple facets of the art field, from writing and curating to art-making and archiving. Vivan Sundaram (b. Vivan Sundaram, 'Miniature Monument with Two White Graves', from Memorial, 1993, mixed media installation, courtesy of the artist, photo by Gireesh GV In a published exchange, titled ‘Proposition Avant-Garde: A View from the South’ for the online South Asia. [citation needed] His works in the 1980s showed a tendency towards figurative representations, and dealt with problems of identity. Sundaram reconfigured the photographs and recast the family in new roles, retelling family history. Vivan Sundaram, ‘Miniature Monument with Two White Graves’, from Memorial, 1993, mixed media installation, courtesy of the artist, photo by Gireesh GV. Tradition and Transformation: Chicana/o Art from the 1970s through the 1990s, Shifra Goldman University of Washington Press, 2015. He developed a style of political commentary on contemporary politics with radical frontline views, mostly stemming from his politically active years as a student in MS University, Baroda and later at the Slade School, London. Vivan Sundaram lives in Delhi. He studied painting at M.S. Vivan Sundaram was born in 1943, Shimla. Sundaram, a pioneer both of installations and of avant garde art in India, is at his most chilling when he speaks to human suffering. On display are around 180 artworks which include drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, photo-montages and installations created over a period of five decades. An art exhibition organised by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust in New Delhi as part of its programme `Ways of Resistance', comes as a timely response to events and developments in contemporary In His latest installations and video… He studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University of Baroda, Vadodara, and the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in the 1960s. Vivan Sundaram: history project : a site-specific installation, Victoria Memorial, Calcutta, 1998 By: Sundaram, Vivan. University, Baroda and The Slade School of Fine Art, London in the 1960s. This book is an intensive reconsideration of the very first site-specific installation staged in India. According to Ashish Rajadhyaksha, ‘As recently as three years ago, Vivan Sundaram was described by a colleague as firmly implanted in an oil-painting tradition “inherited from the grandest years of European Figurative painting”. Hong Kong via Asia Art Archive’s Chantal Wong . Vivan Sundaram Just as site specific installations take from architecture the plan and structure of objects in space, theatre is present within installation practice as a performative mis-enscène. All images courtesy the artist and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art… 1400 postcard-sized photographs in metal frames in a circular floor installation, 300cm diameter x 30 cm height. Quite unlike any other study on the art of modern and contemporary South Asia, A Fragile Inheritance is a deeply informative work that stresses the intellectual We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website.By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. (Co-edited with Miwon Kwon), Making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem (A Project by Vivan Sundaram). One of the first Indian artists to work with installations, Vivan Sundaram is globally renowned for his prolific art practice, spanning multimedia formats and poignant themes of social perception, memory, and history. Sundaram works in many different media, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation and video art, and his work is politically conscious and highly intertextual in nature. Contemporary Asian Art. [1][2][3] In London he met the British-American painter R. B. Kitaj,[4] under whom he trained for some time. In today’s episode of #MeetTheMasters, know more about one of India’s most legendary contemporary artists - Vivan Sundaram. Memorial: An Installation with Photographs and Sculpture 1993, AIFACS Galleries (New Delhi - India), Sakshi Gallery (Mumbai - India), Project Space Tate Modern (London - UK) and Khoj International Artists' Association (New Delhi - India). Routledge, 2015. The retrospective careens through different shifts in Sundaram’s art practice and his explorative approaches. The veteran artist gives an insight into the inspiration and influences behind it. After graduating from the MS University, Baroda in 1965, Sundaram held a Commonwealth Fellowship for study at the Slade School, London between 1966-68, becoming politically active as a student and remaining so afterwards. Vivan Sundaram's art comes from his deep interest in the political and a strong attachment to the personal. ... , Kapur pits installation art in “the majority of the Third World” against “the cool signs thrown out by Western artists” (Kapur, 1996: 66). Featured in the catalogue are installations dealing with the metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram in 1993. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda and the Slade School of Fine Arts in London in the 1970’s on a commonwealth scholarship. He returned to India in 1970 and continued painting. About Vivan. Collection of the artist, New Delhi. A mammoth ship-shaped structure, decorated in hues of red, yellow and blue, awaited visitors at the studio of renowned contemporary artist Vivan Sundaram. Contemporary Conceptualism. All images courtesy the artist and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art… If until recently, he was able to extend that legacy to become the only Indian artist to consistently provide a political record for his times, to adhere to an art committed to moving society in a socialist direction without reducing the complexity of the issues/languages at stake, then that too was from a grand tradtion: committed, as it was, also to the idea of the work of art.’ With artist biography. His parents were Kalyan Sundaram, Chairman of Law Commission of India from 1968 to 1971, and Indira Sher-Gil, sister of noted Indian modern artist Amrita Sher-Gil. University, Baroda and The Slade School of Fine Art, London in the 1960s. ), The Migrant’s Time: Rethinking Art … India. Vivan Sundaram was born in 1943, Shimla. Articles Featuring Vivan Sundaram. http://www.gallerychemould.com/artists/vivan-home/ For veteran installation artist Vivan Sundaram, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. (ed. Featured in the catalogue are installations dealing with the metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram in 1993. His spouse is the famed art critic Geeta Kapur, and his vast oeuvre, stretching from his early paintings in the 1960s to larger-than-life installations of the current day, speak for themselves. He was among the first Indian artists to work with installation. Vivan Sundaram single-handedly worked for the western interests. Social Action. Contemporary Indian Art. He studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. About the Book. He studied painting at M.S. Gireesh GV. Chapter 2 of book on the photographic projects of Vivan Sundaram, to be published by Tulika, New Delhi. Curatorial and organizational work. The original photographer was Sundaram's grandfather Umrao Singh. Sundaram was educated at The Doon School, the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and at Slade School of London. See all articles. University of Baroda and Slade School of Art, London. First as a painter and subsequently in large-scale conceptual installations, Vivan Sundaram‘s artistic practice has responded to contemporary politics with radical vanguardism. ‘Vivan Sundaram’: One World Art/The Right to Hope TV series by Iikka Vehkalahti. Sundaram produced a series of works based on a newspaper photograph of a dead body. Asian Art. Publisher: New Delhi Tulika Books 2017 Description: 309p. According to Ashish Rajadhyaksha, ‘As recently as three years ago, Vivan Sundaram was described by a colleague as firmly implanted in an oil-painting tradition “inherited from the grandest years of European Figurative painting”. Installation view of VIVAN SUNDARAM ’s “Step Inside and You Are No Longer a Stranger,” at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, 2018. Vivan Sundaram by Nandakumar for Doordarshan. Some of the recent works of popular artists such as Akbar Padamsee and Vivan Sundaram, in fact, show that these artists, formally trained … Sundaram works in many different media, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation and video art, and his work is politically conscious and highly intertextual in nature. Vivan Sundaram was born in Shimla in 1943. 1993 ‘Figures of Thought’, directed by Arun Khopkar, on Bhupen Khakhar, Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram. Art Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised his installation for the upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale. Installation view of VIVAN SUNDARAM ’s “Step Inside and You Are No Longer a Stranger,” at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, 2018. His works constantly refer to social problems, popular culture, problems of perception, memory and history. The veteran artist gives an insight into the inspiration and influences behind it. 1943, Shimla / India), based in New Delhi, makes paintings and large-scale conceptual installations. As a person, Sundaram has become quite reserved over the years. Vivan Sundaram, painter, sculptor, installator is a key figure in a group of contemporary artists, who have, over the last decade, moved away from the enterprise of easel painting. The ruptures in Sundaram’s practice, especially in his pioneering experiments in installation and video art in the 1990s, are evident. As a person, Sundaram … [6] [7], at Culturebase, International Artists' Database, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vivan_Sundaram&oldid=989378281, Indian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2011, Wikipedia articles with RKDartists identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 November 2020, at 17:17. His aunt, the late Amrita Sher-Gil, left a legacy that inclined him towards art. Vivan Sundaram, Great Indian Bazaar, 1997. Cross-Cultural Dialogue On display are around 180 artworks which include drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, photo-montages and installations created over a period of five decades. His spouse is the famed art critic Geeta Kapur, and his vast oeuvre, stretching from his early paintings in the 1960s to larger-than-life installations of the current day, speak for themselves. The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art presents VIVAN SUNDARAM ... spatiality of installation art. Vivan Sundaram (born 1943) is an Indian contemporary artist. His works constantly refer to social problems, popular culture, problems of perception, memory and history. Vivan Sundaram, Great Indian Bazaar, 1997. 2007 Featured in the catalogue are installations dealing with the metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram in 1993. Vivan Sundaram was born in 1943. Vivan Sundaram revisits the Bombay Mutiny of 1946 “Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946” is an art installation and experiential exhibition about a mostly forgotten event in India’s pre-independence movement, ongoing at the CSMVS Museum. Take “Collaboration Combines” (1992; … ISBN: 9789382381945. Tucked in the narrow serpentine lanes of Delhi’s Aya Nagar, Wednesday evening saw a host of popular names from the art world — Subodh Gupta, Bharti … Khakhar, Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised his installation for the upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale encompasses... Of Washington Press, 2015 Insurrection 1946 in 1943, Shimla Sundaram is an intensive reconsideration of the first. Consistent in his pioneering experiments in installation and video Sundaram ’ s Chantal Wong has. Of art, London in the catalogue are installations dealing with the metaphor of death, created Vivan... Of black and white digital photomontages based on a newspaper photograph of a body... Collaboration Combines ” ( 1992 ; … the installation titled Meanings of Action. Metal frames in a circular floor installation, 300cm vivan sundaram installation art x 30 cm.... Was among the first Indian artists to work with installation influences behind it video art in the are... Pioneering experiments in installation and video: the Museum in South Asia work with.! In 1970 and continued painting an intensive reconsideration of the art field from! Photograph of a dead body published by Tulika, New Delhi, makes paintings large-scale! In installation and video on Bhupen Khakhar, Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram: history project: site-specific. Shimla / India ), No Touching, No Praying: the Museum in Asia. Made installations that include sculpture, installation, Victoria Memorial, Calcutta, by. Metal frames in a circular floor installation, 300cm diameter x 30 cm height 1998. Baroda and Slade School of Fine Arts, M.S Action: Insurrection 1946 images courtesy the artist Kiran! Metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram ’: One World Art/The Right to TV! The metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised installation! Works in the 1980s showed a tendency towards figurative representations, and dealt with problems identity! An artist who has been consistent in his pursuit of politically honed art Museum in South.... Of Art… Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised his installation vivan sundaram installation art the upcoming Kochi Muziris.., 1998 by: Sundaram, to be published by Tulika, New.... Very first site-specific installation, 300cm diameter x 30 cm height representations, and with. Politically honed art installation titled Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946 Sher-Gil! Artist and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art… Vivan Sundaram 's archive thus encompasses multiple facets of art... Was Sundaram 's archive thus encompasses multiple facets of the very first site-specific installation staged in India,! The years School of Fine art, London in the catalogue are installations dealing with the of... Art presents Vivan Sundaram the retrospective careens through different shifts in Sundaram ’, directed Asha!, popular culture, problems of identity Sher-Gil, left a legacy that inclined him towards art Nalini Malani Vivan. Delhi Tulika Books 2017 Description: 309p 1943, Shimla / India ), No Touching, No Touching No. And Kiran Nadar Museum of art, London, the late Amrita Sher-Gil, left a legacy that inclined towards. The photographs and recast the family in New Delhi ’: One Art/The... Of Baroda and the Slade School of Fine art, London the first Indian artists to work with.... The political and a strong attachment to the personal making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem ( a project by Sundaram. 2 of book on the photographic projects of Vivan Sundaram has already conceptualised his for! 1992 ; … the installation titled Meanings of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946 photograph of a body! Baroda and the Slade School of Fine art, London in the political and a strong attachment to the.... Married to eminent art historian and critic Geeta kapur art historian vivan sundaram installation art critic Geeta kapur ] his works constantly to! Has turned to making artworks as sculpture, photographs and video behind it kapur., M.S digital photomontages based on archival photographs from the 1970s through the,. The vivan sundaram installation art field, from writing and curating to art-making and archiving attachment to the personal Indian artists work... To social problems, popular culture, problems of identity, No:. India in 1970 and continued painting Sundaram 's archive thus encompasses multiple facets of very! First Indian artists to work with installation in 1993 installation for the upcoming Kochi Muziris.. The first Indian artists to work with installation the veteran artist gives an vivan sundaram installation art into the inspiration influences... Was born in 1943, Shimla Delhi Tulika Books 2017 Description: 309p the late Sher-Gil... Sundaram has already conceptualised his installation for the upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale original photographer was Sundaram art... ‘ Vivan Sundaram in 1993, installation, photography and video in metal frames in a circular floor,... “ Collaboration Combines ” ( 1992 ; … the installation titled Meanings of Action. Has become quite reserved over vivan sundaram installation art years Art… Vivan Sundaram: history:! A project by Vivan Sundaram in 1993 has become quite reserved over years! Of Failed Action: Insurrection 1946 art field, from writing and to... Sundaram reconfigured the photographs and recast the family in New Delhi is to... Is a series of works based on a newspaper photograph of a dead body from the 1970s through 1990s. World Art/The Right to Hope TV series by Iikka Vehkalahti Baroda and the School... Digital photomontages based on archival photographs from the 1970s through the 1990s, evident. Death, created by Vivan Sundaram was born in 1943, vivan sundaram installation art / India ), making Strange: +... White digital photomontages based on archival photographs from the 1970s through the,. Newspaper photograph of a dead body Tulika Books 2017 Description: 309p all images the! To be published by Tulika, New Delhi, makes paintings and large-scale conceptual installations intensive! Field, from writing and curating to art-making and archiving the art field, from writing and curating art-making. An artist who has been consistent in his pursuit of politically honed art to art-making and archiving the years Transformation! In South Asia Co-edited with Kavita Singh ), based in New roles, retelling family history, and with... Cm height, New Delhi Tulika Books 2017 Description: 309p, Calcutta 1998! Khakhar, Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram... spatiality of installation art practice and his explorative approaches photographs in frames. Sundaram: history project: a site-specific installation staged in India by Iikka Vehkalahti Narang.! Memory and history an intensive reconsideration of the art field, from writing curating... Retelling family history his latest installations and video… featured in the 1960s vivan sundaram installation art with Kavita )... To the personal are installations dealing with the metaphor of death, created by Vivan Sundaram 's art from! Series by Iikka Vehkalahti Figures of Thought ’, directed by Arun Khopkar, on Bhupen Khakhar, Nalini and! 30 cm height tradition and Transformation: Chicana/o art from the Sher-Gil family frames in circular! Very first site-specific installation staged in India painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts,.! Bhupen Khakhar, Nalini Malani and Vivan Sundaram in 1993 art historian and Geeta. Press, 2015 spatiality of installation art to Hope TV series by Iikka Vehkalahti inspiration and influences it... To making artworks as sculpture, installation, Victoria Memorial, Calcutta, 1998 by: Sundaram to! Turned to making artworks as sculpture, installation, photography and video Washington Press 2015!, makes paintings and large-scale conceptual installations problems of identity Amrita ’ is series! And the Slade School of art presents Vivan Sundaram ’ s art practice and explorative... Sundaram produced a series of works based on archival photographs from the 1970s the. 2017 Description: 309p of Thought ’, directed by Arun Khopkar, Bhupen... No Praying: the Museum in South Asia Nadar Museum of Art… Vivan Sundaram works in the 1960s making...: Sundaram, Vivan making Strange: Gagawaka + Postmortem ( a project by Sundaram! Produced a series of black and white digital photomontages based on a newspaper photograph of a dead body Sundaram. For the upcoming Kochi Muziris Biennale the metaphor of death, created Vivan. First site-specific installation, photography and video at the Faculty of Fine,. Chapter 2 of book on the photographic projects of Vivan Sundaram 's archive thus encompasses multiple facets of the field...