While the virtual world turned into a much-needed support system for artists during the pandemic, there are some things that a digital medium cannot replicate. For example, audience interaction. Vadodara artist Abhishek Narayan Varma missed the feeling of people experiencing his paintings from close quarters. So when an invitation to Gallery Latitude 28's upcoming exhibition came in, it felt like a revival.
Titled 'When is Empathy Too Much?', the exhibition comes as a breath of fresh air to art enthusiasts who’ve been craving ‘the real experience’. Besides Varma, this group show, which is co-curated by Indira Prasad and Shubhani Sharma, will exhibit works of three other artists - Al-Qawi Nanavati, Shalina Vichitra and Yogesh Ramkrishna.
The exhibition questions the onslaught of digitisation as far as art is concerned. With digital medium, perceiving art has completely undergone a sea-change. But, as Sharma says, "Viewing experience should be firmly rooted in our emotional and empathetic reactions to art."
This 'empathy' is what the four artists seek and portray in the exhibition.
Take for instance Vichitra’s practice. The artist says, "For me anything that you work on stems from something personal. It describes your experiences and emotions and you connect it to other people’s emotions and experiences. For that reason I feel every artist works with a sense of empathy."
Her 'grain series' is all about the same subject. "It’s like tackling a small part of a large experience", is how Vichitra puts it.
The idea of empathy resonates with Varma, too, whose work 'The Funambulist' draws parallels between the balancing act of the funambulist and himself. The artist says, "I take inspiration from the outside world which is not possible without empathy. The world will be a selfish place without it."
He explains that just like the funambulist experiences no tension or fear while walking on the rope, an artist—for example, Varma, himself—also has similar experiences.
Gallery Latitude 28 founder-director Bhavna Kakar says, "The exhibition calls attention to the desensitisation that has become all too familiar in these times. We are caught in a balancing act of maintaining a healthy emotional engagement with society, while at the same time trying to save ourselves from emotional burnout."
The exhibition, believe the organisers, is a way of starting a dialogue between the audience and the works. It aims to revive a closer bond between art and life.