Overview

Re-presenting Histories is a collaborative project between Suman Gopinath, based in Bangalore, and Grant Watson, based in London. Initiated in 2009, the project began as a response to the large-scale omnibus exhibitions of contemporary Indian art that were taking place all over the world. Gopinath and Watson began to work on an ongoing series of monographic investigations into the work of individual artists in order to do away with overview positions and look at other entry points through which history could be opened up. At March Meeting 2011 Suman Gopinth presented their choice of artists and the different ways in which they have tried to make the work accessible, as well as the proposed trajectories for the project in the future.

Presentation Proposal

Re-presenting Histories is an ongoing programme of exhibitions and events curated by Suman Gopinath and Grant Watson for CoLab Art & Architecture. This programme re-visits recent Indian art history with a view to recuperating legacies of avant-garde practice and archiving lesser known bodies of work that slip between genres and schools. The development of this archive, invoking histories of the avant-garde in India, and the use of curatorial strategies to make it accessible to the viewer, constitute a useful resource for audiences who are increasingly exposed to contemporary Indian art but often without reference to a historical context. The aim of this programme is to make research available to a wide audience by presenting it in a manner that is accessible, using a variety of formats including workshops, seminars, exhibitions, publications, film screenings, commissions by contemporary artists and a website. The two artists we are currently working on are Nasreen Mohammedi and K P Krishnakumar.