The era following India’s 1947 independence was marked by the emergence of Indian modern art led by the Progressive Artist Group and their extended friends. A half-century later, the year 1997 signaled the beginning of a new phase with a sudden visibility gained by Indian artists in a newly globalized contemporary art world. After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India, 1947/1997 presents the juxtaposition of these two historical periods in Indian art for the first time, examining the modernists from 1947 through the 1970s, and the contemporary from 1997 to the present. Shifting zeitgeists in India’s cultural production are explored, and how these artistic practices regard and contest a geo-political consciousness of the nation through the veins of modernization and globalization are revealed.

6pm: A performance by Mithu Sen, Tongue That Won’t Stop Wounding. A 20-minute interactive performance by the artist on her struggle of making audible the unheard and unrepresented voices in society.

A free shuttle bus will be making loops between the Mets-Willets Point 7 train subway station & the museum from 4:30-7:30 pm.

After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India, 1947/1997 is curated by Arshiya Lokhandwala, Ph.D.

Featured artists
Modern: V.S. Gaitonde, M.F. Husain, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Tyeb Mehta, Akbar Padamsee, S. H. Raza, and F.N. Souza.

Contemporary: CAMP, Nikhil Chopra, Desire Machine Collective, Atul Dodiya, Anita Dube, Sheela Gowda, Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta, Tushar Joag, Jitish Kallat, Tallur L.N., Prajakta Potnis, Sreshta Rit Premnath, Raqs Media Collective, Sharmila Samant, Mithu Sen, Dayanita Singh, and Asim Waqif.

After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India 1947/1997 is supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, UBS, Official Airline Sponsor Etihad and Jet Airways, Sotheby’s, Star Worldwide Group, India, Hauser & Wirth, and Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai. Additional funding is provided by Mrs. Marguerite and Mr. Kent Srikanth Charugundla, Mr. and Mrs. Rajiv J. Chaudhri, Ms. Radhika Chopra and Mr. Rajan Anandan, and Mrs. Mahinder and Mr. Sharad Tak. Support for this exhibition is also provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Special thanks to the Office of the Consulate General of India, New York and Malini Shah.

Image: Anita Dube, The Sleep of Reason creates Monsters, 2001, installation of enameled eyes. Courtesy of the artist and Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai.