DAG'S NEW EXHIBITS SHINE A LIGHT ON INDIA THROUGH A COLONIAL AND POST-COLONIAL LENS

In order to truly appreciate one's cultural heritage, one must explore the history associated with it.

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 An institution that shines a light on India's fascinating historical legacy presenting archival art and ephemera painstakingly collected over decades from around India and the world is DAG. Its latest two exhibits at its Delhi showroom, on view till January 25, at first seem completely at odds with one other. Yet, on closer inspection they represent two important ends of a timeline - the moment the British asserted sovereignty over India and the moment its newly-independent citizens felt the exuberance of living in a free nation nearly two centuries later.

Hence, the two exhibits should be visited and viewed together in this context.

The first of these is "William Hodges & the Prospect of India". This is the first time that his full set of 48 aquatints made as part of the series "Select Views in India" are on view. The second exhibit is "Flower of Fire: The Life & Art of

Gopal Ghose", which is a retrospective of the work of Bengali artist Gopal Ghose covering his creative evolution and artistic trajectory from the 1930s to his final days.

At their heart, they both provide differing visions of Indian landscape art William Hodges does it in the 18th century while Gopal Ghose does it in the 20th. "Looked at closer, both artists are seen to express the passion and intensity of their respective introspective minds that bridge the divide between their radically different practices," explains Giles Tillotson, Senior VP, Exhibitions at DAG, who has curated the show.