Sheetal Gattani
Published on : Feb 07, 2025
Aicon, New York, announces its participation in the ongoing India Art Fair 2025, showcasing a group presentation of works by veteran artists Rasheed Araeen (b. 1935, Pakistan) and Anjolie Ela Menon (b. 1940, India), alongside established contemporaries Faiza Butt (b. 1973, Pakistan), Waqas Khan (b. 1982, Pakistan) and Saad Qureshi (b. 1986, Pakistan).
From February 6 - 9, 2025, a selection of modern masterpieces are being displayed at the art fair taking place at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Delhi, India, within a freestanding temple structure at the art gallery’s booth. Visitors have the opportunity to view iconic works by artists such as Sayed Haider Raza (1922–2016), Achuthan Kudallur (1945–2022), Lancelot Ribeiro (1933–2010) and Mohan Samant (1924–2004).
Aicon highlighted the careers of Kudallur, Ribeiro and Samant with solo exhibitions in New York in 2024 while celebrating Raza's centennial in 2023 with a remarkable exhibition of his paintings from 1956 to 1982. The gallery specialising in modern and contemporary non-Western art with a focus on South Asia, the Middle East and Africa is proud to honour the legacy of these important Indian artists both in India and internationally.
The featured contemporary artworks at the ongoing art event include Mrutya Smruti: Dance for the Ancestors (1987) by Mohan Samant; Frolic on a Nuclear Playground (1965) by Lancelot Ribeiro; Magfirat (Forgiveness) (2025) by Veer Munshi and Untitled (2024) by Sheetal Gattani.
In Mrutya Smruti, Samant incorporates recessed canvases, carving niches into the canvas itself. The largest panel depicts an ancient burial site with partially exhumed skeletons. The use of small toy figurines to create tableaux draws on Samant's childhood visits to museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum (now Bhau Daji Lad Museum) in Mumbai, where he encountered dioramas of Indian village life.
Ribeiro's painting, Frolic on a Nuclear Playground, depicts his innovative use of polyvinyl acetate (PVA), a precursor to modern acrylics. It addresses the widespread anxiety of nuclear fallout during the Cold War era, capturing a poignant moment in the artist's exploration of the era's fears.
Part of Munshi's Healing Wounds series, Magfirat (currently on view at Aicon's New York gallery through March 8) continues his exploration of "an aesthetics of counter-violence." The piece combines delicately stitched shrapnel fragments with intricate polychrome paintings, echoing his earlier work Shrapnel.
Lastly, what begins as a completely black canvas evolves over time into a vibrant composition, as Gattani layers colour upon colour in her untitled modern artwork. The final result is a complex, multi-dimensional painting where tensions between surface and depth come to life through the intricate play of light and colour.
