Three generations of Indian artists come together in this new show

In 1979, artist Krishen Khanna was appointed as a consultant to build up a collection of art for the ITC Maurya, New Delhi. As part of this, he also created one of his most significant works, ‘The Great Procession’, on the curved dome of the lobby. The mural, which took four years to complete, featured everyday scenes and human experiences. One got a deep sense of movement in the work, signifying a continuous journey with no beginning and no end. “If you look carefully, you will find yourself in it,” Khanna has said about his piece. Nearly four decades after its creation, The Great Procession still continues to stay relevant for its representation of India’s heterogeneous culture in a Modernist style. And now, in addition to this mural, one will get to see five to six other works by Khanna—paintings and sculptures—as part of the new show, ‘Creative Disruptionists: The Home Coming’, presented by Art Aesthete at the ITC Maurya.

The exhibition has its roots in a conversation between Khanna and Vandana Haksar of Art Aesthete. “We were talking about the Progressive Artists Group, which he was a part of, and how they changed the trajectory of Indian art by developing a new genre,” she says. “That’s how the idea of creative disruption took root and we thought let’s look at the birthing process of ideas, which are undeniably bold, innovative and new.” By inviting Khanna to feature in and also inaugurate the exhibition, Art Aesthete wanted to create a sort of homecoming for him. “There is a lot of sentimentality attached with his works. My paternal grandfather, Ajit Haksar, was the first Indian chairman of ITC Limited and he commissioned Krishen Khanna to paint the mural. He also commissioned MF Husain to do a series of 18 glass panel paintings in the Maurya lobby,” says Avantika Haksar Chopra, who is in the midst of last minute preparations for the show.

According to Khanna, many things have conspired to cause disruption in Indian art. It wasn’t done by one person alone; rather it was a joint effort, with many influences coming together. “And at that point, something wonderful just happened,” he says. The show attempts to look at several such inflection points and game changers. There are three strains that one can see across Creative Disruptionists—one is of the Progressives, such as Husain, Akbar Padamsee and Tyeb Mehta, who are significant for their “sources in both Indian cultural history and Euro-American abstraction,” as Tausif Noor mentions in the art magazine, Frieze. Then, there are works by later Modernists such as Manu Parekh and Lalu Prasad Shaw. “We also wanted to take the story forward by looking at contemporary artists who are exploring a whole new style and substance. So you will also see works by Jagannath Panda, GR Iranna, Arunkumar HG, Sujata Bajaj and more,” says Haksar.

The show has been in the making for the past six months, with 104 works having been sourced from artists and collectors. The highlight of the exhibition is a walk-through with Khanna on March 12. “We have invited a close group of people to sit with him in the lobby, chat about ‘The Great Procession’, his life and work. He is so eloquent and such a charmer that I’m sure this session will be extremely memorable,” says Chopra.

Scroll through the gallery below to take a look at some of the artworks showcased at the exhibition.

Creative Disruptionists – The Home Coming will be on view at the ITC Maurya Hotel, New Delhi, between March 11-14, 2019.

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