Same history, different stories

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Video still from Amusement Park by artist Gigi Scaria

It is an opportunity that every art curator wants. Last year Shrine Empire, a Delhi-based gallery, initiated the Art Scribes’ Award as an outreach programme that gave a chance to a young curator to explore Asian countries.

The outcome of this three-month residency in South Korea is an ongoing exhibition in the capital titled “Whose History? Which Stories?”, a show of five Indian and five South Korean artists curated by Oindrilla Maity Surai.
She selected some of the best names from Indian and South Korean contemporary art — Atul Bhalla, Gigi Scaria, Prajakta Pallav, Praneet Soi and Tushar Joag from India; Chang Won Lee, Gim Gwang Cheol, among others from South Korea.
The show spans theme ranging from forgotten histories, declining arts and war monuments. History and nostalgia underline the art features and the narrative of the show is that of substance losing out to a surfeit of consumerism and hectic lifestyle. Curator Oindrilla says, “The show tries to find out similarities and idiosyncrasies that prevail between the two nations. It addresses the subtle connections between history and myth, as portrayed through the artworks of ten artists from both countries.”
Indian artist Atul Bhalla says, “My work is an attempt to connect histories — those that are being constantly made, and others, which are constantly threatened.”
Praneet Soi’s video projections carry with them the myths associated with homecoming, nostalgia and migration.
However, the art works, have not been restricted to conventional mediums. The show has broken new ground with artworks that feature avant garde techno-visual art forms.
Artist Siyong Jin, says, “I agreed to showcase my works in India because, as a video-installation artist, I work mostly with LED lights. South Korea is one of the biggest manufacturers of these lights, and India is their biggest market. So, I thought of exploring the Indian market.”
Contracting the immense weight of culture and history in the pieces is the mania of a city life as presented in Tushar Joag’s and Prajakta Pallav’s paintings. “This show made me learn about the current art scene in South Korea. Artists over there are more experimental.”