Patchwork on cotton Image courtesy: Museum of Art & Photography (MAP)
Indu Antony’s exhibition, as part of the international programme Mindscapes, has opened in three places across Bengaluru, inviting ideas, art works and people to travel: at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), the artist’s studio space Kāṇike in Cooke town and Namma Katte, a place for leisure for the women and children of Lingarajapuram. Indu’s work foregrounds questions around language on mental health and the city, care and a shared space for healing in togetherness.
In Bengaluru, multiple identities co-exist in the form of languages and dialects which occasionally overlap. In a structure of exclusion to express emotional health, this exhibition intends to locate spaces in which spoken language takes the shape of gestures, actions and thoughts. What is speakable, how do we share our trauma, experiences but also joy and respite? When do we speak up loudly for ourselves and when do we whisper? Can we connect the idea of volume to mental health and think of loud and quiet spaces?
With Indu Antony’s work at the centre of the exhibition, it not only raises questions about identity, play, rest and the location of the self but also about the space for emotions, trauma and joy. The exhibition will showcase jointly produced works between Indu with women in Lingarajapuram and Namma Katte, that have evolved out of conversations over the past two years, but also reflect the artist’s mindspace and identity.
Alongside Indu Antony’s work, MAP has seen this as an opportunity to share other projects that evolved as part of the Mindscapes programme, which is organised in partnership with the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation supporting science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. As part of the Mindscapes exhibition, MAP also showcases the work of Cecilie Falkenstrøm, the Mindscapes international artist in residence, titled “I see it, so you don’t have to”. The Art for Thought toolkit will also be on display together with Mindscapes artist in residence at large Christine Wong Yap’s co-created zines. Expanding the conversation on mental health, art and language in the exhibition space is a thoughtful film work titled Kāḷaji nagara by Maitri Gopalakrishna and Debosmita Dam. In addition to the exhibition, MAP is planning a vast programme of engagements for children and adults.
