Century carved: Tracing India’s awakening

Art is not just a form or a testimony of expression or ambition of the ever changing landscape of a nation, but a mirror of many lifetimes and Sculpting the Century distils hese into form.

- PRIYANJALI DAS

Delhi's Triveni Kala Sangam, recently, witnessed an exhibition that celebrated and paid tribute to India’s long and evolving tradition of sculpture, as well as tothe visionary artists who shape the modern and contemporary vocabulary of his timeless art formtitled Sculpting the Century, organised by The Raza Foundation and Progressive Art Gallery.

Curated by one of India’s foremost art critics and curators, Yashodhara Dalmia, this landmark exhibition offered a compelling survey of modern Indian sculpture, tracing its evolution from the early 20th-century modern awakening through the post-Independence era and into contemporary times. A spectacular display of the works of 23 sculptors, including M.F. Husain, Akbar Padamsee, Amarnath Sehgal, Himmat Shah, Satish Gujral, B. Vithal, Somnath Hore, Meera Mukherjee, S.H. Raza, and others, the art created by these virtuosos is the standing reaffirmation of the enduring power of the tactile and the tangible. Talking to The Statesman, Yasodhara Dalmia shared her vision behind curating Sculpting the Century, “The idea for