Tales, Sites and Memory: Reading History through Living Culture

Facilitators: K.N. Panikkar, M. K. Dhavlikar, Mubarak Ali, Subur Munji, Ruchira Bannerji, Arvind Adarkar, Flavia Agnes, Y. D. Phadke, Urvashi Butalia, Arshia Sattar, Arvind Deshpande, Gayatri Chatterjee, Amrita Shodan, and Uma Chakravarti

October 26 to 30, 1999
Little Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

Art in India today has begun to receive recognition worldwide for the innovative spirit of its inspired images. This series of six illustrated lectures focuses on the work of some thirty artists since Independence. Based on interviews, it inquires into their process of an experiment in painting, sculpture, graphics and conceptual art, exploring affinities with folk and popular art. Together, these constitute the importance of visual culture in reflecting the transformation of values in India.

This is part of a series of multi-disciplinary workshops planned to foster a deeper understanding of art and culture among college students. The workshop will focus on how histories are inscribed both in formal and popular narratives and the role of history in contemporary living, both at a personal and collective level. It is aimed at sensitising participants to alternative historical traditions and alerting them to the privileging of specific cultural traditions that silence `other’ voices.