Explore the works of artists FN Souza and Avinash Chandra at this Mumbai exhibition

Red House and Tree by FN Souza, 1962. Pics Courtesy/DAG

There are artists who create, and there are artists who simply are. FN Souza belongs to the latter category. The self-proclaimed enfant terrible of Indian modern art pushed boundaries of style and sensibility through his works, such that even as late as 2022, the Central Board of Excise and Customs seized his work, Lovers, claiming obscenity. It was the Bombay High Court that stepped in to release it earlier this week. "Souza would have had a laugh. During a tour in the 1960s, a local sheriff in Darlington, UK, did something similar. Souza being Souza, laughed away. He enjoyed being notorious," shares Giles Tillotson, senior vice president, exhibitions, DAG and curator of the show.

On the artist's centenary, the gallery will bring together his works with another of his radical contemporaries, Avinash Chandra, in a rare exhibition titled Contours of Identity on November 12. The exhibition will be part of Art Nights Tuesday's extended hours' itinerary.

Untitled, oil on paper, FN Souza, 1956; (left) FN Souza. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

"The idea emerged when Ashish Anand [CEO, MD, DAG] pointed out that 2024 marks the centenary of Souza's birth year. You must understand that Souza, apart from being an artist, was a very articulate man. He consciously crafted his persona of an unsociable, abrasive and creative talent. But to truly look at him, you have to observe him alongside his peers," Tillotson notes.

Like his radical contemporary, Avinash Chandra traced a path from the Delhi Polytechnic to London in 1959. He went on to become the first Indian artist to be exhibited at the Documenta Kassel in 1964. "But unlike Souza, Chandra was quiet. Even when he was persuaded to write about himself, he turned to the words of his friend, British art historian, WG Archer to describe himself," Tillotson points out.

Giles Tillotson

The London of the period, with its open sexual liberation, music and societal norms, informed their works. Born between World Wars, both Souza and Chandra are notable for their bold explorations of sexuality while revealing complex negotiations with their cultural identity in Western contexts. "In retrospect, both of them were pushing at the boundaries. A common refrain among patrons would be that if these works came out 20 years ago, they would be banned."

Despite this sense of internationalism, Tillotson points out that Indianness mattered to them. The contradiction of having to leave India to explore their own identity is not lost on either of them. "It has to be viewed in context; despite their attempts, they were looked at as Indian artists. There is a constant tussle within them about their Indian identity and international style," the curator notes.

(Left) City, 1958 and (right) Untitled, 1963 by Avinash Chandra

While the exhibition is not focussed on the artists' London period, it does form a key segment of their career. Tillotson observes, "The internet has revolutionised the fact that everything is everywhere all at once. But as an art historian, I am often interested in that moment in time. This was also, perhaps, the last time in history that such a place could be attributed to a moment of art history. Their journey was also part of a contradiction. If they had to find their identity as artists, they had to follow the path of the international artists. If they had to redefine modernism in India, they had to leave India." An experience so extraordinary it birthed a creative explosion that will come to life at the exhibition in Apollo Bunder.

Avinash Chandra

On November 12; 11 am onwards
At DAG Mumbai, The Taj Mahal Palace, Apollo Bunder, Colaba.
Free