Art with a difference

The art exhibition, ‘INBOX’ showcases out-of-the-box works on consumerism and the “disposable culture” which characterises modern living

Globalisation has made a large impact on societies at large. Given its many benefits, it is not often that we stop to analyse its effects. Questioning the consumerist culture, an art exhibition ‘INBOX’ has been set up by Shrishti Art Gallery at the Hill Fort Palace, Hyderabad.

As part of the Gallery’s second art festival titled ‘Ramaniyam,’ 83 contemporary Indian artistes including well-know names such as Bose Krishnamachari, Laxma Goud, Riyas Komu and others have displayed their works. The fest was launched by a panel including Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, Information and Technology, Government of Telangana.

The theme of the exhibition, which was curated by George Martin, is on the “disposable culture”, which characterises modern living. At the launch Martin said, “A couple of years back I shared this idea with Lakshmi Nambiar. I noticed that the disposable culture is vast and I don’t know how we can control it.”

He further elaborated about how every product has a shelf life, which causes us to replace the product periodically. This unbridled consumerism, according to him and the other artistes at the forefront of this exhibition, proves damaging to the social fabric of society as these goods tend to shape our identity.

Lakshmi Nambiar, director, Shrishti Art Gallery said, “This exhibition was done with the aim of changing the sensibilities of the community.” She explained that the 100-year-old abandoned palace, which previously operated as the Ritz Hotel, was chosen as the location as a testament to the disposable culture.

A documentary on the cleaning up of the location, shot by Sharath Mudupu, was played at the launch. The evening ended with a live performance by Bengaluru team ‘Thaalavattam’ that uses recycled musical instruments. The exhibition is on view till November 22.