Curator: Akiko Miki
Exhibition management: Günther Oberhollenzer
International Symposium: 04/09/2009, 10.30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
India - Open House: 12/09 and 13/09/2009, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

With the exhibition >CHALO! INDIA. A New Era of Indian Art<, the Essl Museum offers impressive insights into the contemporary Indian art scene.

>CHALO! INDIA. A New Era of Indian Art< explores the present state of Indian contemporary art and the great changes it has gone through in recent years; examining the work of artists who attempt to question the reality of the society and age in which they live by taking subject matters from their everyday surroundings and transforming them through their art into a theatre of life. "Chalo!" means "Let’s go" in Hindi, and this exhibition is an invitation on a journey to encounter the new creativity and energy of Indian contemporary art. It is a visit to "India now" via these works of art, and an exploration of diverse ways of thinking that each visitor may discover for him or herself.
(Akiko Miki)

THUKRAL & TAGRA Phantom IX-B, 2007 oil and aclyric on canvas 182 x 367cm Courtesy of Nature Morte, New Delhi	JITISH KALLAT Artist Making Local Call, 2005 (Detail) Digital print on vinyl mesh 241 x 1040 cm Collection of the Artist

With more than 100 works by 27 artists, this exhibition encourages visitors to discover the great diversity of Indian contemporary art. >CHALO! INDIA< is the largest presentation of contemporary Indian art in Austria so far.

Mostly known in Europe for its traditions and spirituality, India is one of the regions in the world that have lived through enormous social changes in recent decades. India’s impressive economic progress has spurred interest in the artistic developments of the country, and Indian artists have attracted heightened attention at the international art market.

PUSHPAMALA N. in collaboration with Clare Arni The Native Types—Lakshmi (After Oleograph from Ravi Varma Press, Early 20th Century), 2001 C-print on metallic paper 70 x 57.5 cm Collaboration with Clare Arni Courtesy of Nature Morte, New Delhi and Bose Pacia, New York	SUBODH GUPTA Bullet, 2007 Royal Enfiled Bullet, brass, chrome ~110 x 225 x 75 cm Collection of the Artist

The show explores the routes chosen by artists from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Vadodara and other cities to challenge the reality and age in which they live: the rapid economic development, urbanisation and lifestyles, spirituality, dreams, contrasts and contradictions.

The exhibition covers a wide range of creative perspectives and forms of expressions and presents artists already well-established in Europe, such as Bharti Kher and Subodh Gupta, as well as numerous newcomers who are in the process of obtaining international recognition.

>CHALO! INDIA< is organised in collaboration with the Tokyo Mori Art Museum.

Participating artists

A.Balasubramaniam, Sarnath Banerjee, Krishnaraj Chonat, Nikhil Chopra, Atul Dodiya, Shilpa Gupta, Subodh Gupta, N.S. Harsha, Tushar Joag, Anant Joshi, Ranbir Kaleka, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, Bharti Kher, Prabhavathi Meppayil, Pushpamala N., Jagannath Panda, Justin Ponmany, Ashim Purkayastha, Raqs Media Collective, Gigi Scaria, Nataraj Sharma, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Kiran Subbaiah, Vivan Sundaram, Thukral & Tagra, Hema Upadhyay.

SPECIALS

SAVE THE DATE – Symposium, 04/09/2009
On the occasion of the opening, a symposium where the artists will be present will be held at the Essl Museum on Friday, 4 September 2009.

Katalog

CHALO! India A New Era of Indian Art German and english. 272 pages with numerous color images. With articles by Karlheinz Essl, Fumio Nanjo, Akiko Miki, Sabine B. Vogel, Peter Nagy and Deepak Ananth. Prestel Verlag: München 2009 Ausstellungspreis: € 35,00 (Order by E-Mail) ISBN: 978-3-7913-4304-4

Art Education

The art education team offers guided tours through and workshops on the exhibition: For the current calendar of events please access www.essl.museum/Art Education.

Free shuttle-bus

The Essl Museum can easily be reached with a free bus-shuttle from Vienna City Centre, Albertinaplatz 2 to the Essl Museum (Tues – Sun, 10 a.m., 12 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m.)

Press

Nina Auinger: +43 (0)2243 - 370 50 60, auinger@essl.museum
Regina Holler-Strobl: +43 (0) 2243/370 50 62, holler-strobl@essl.museum

Partners of the Essl Museum

bauMax AG / Café + Co International Holding / Donau Versicherungs-AG – Vienna Insurance Group / Siemens AG Österreich / Telekom Austria AG / ZuklinBus Wien-Umgebung

Mediapartners

Die Presse / Ö1