Unseen Narratives: Documenting the Peripheries of Indian Contemporary Art with Neo-Baroda

Neo-Baroda emerged as a reaction to the discontent of artists who felt isolated, despite the ongoing establishment of art movements and schools throughout India. The name resonates a lightheartedness in its tone, combining respect for tradition by acknowledging the modern digital world. During our time as students of the faculty of fine arts Baroda, we recognized an opportunity for a platform that could surpass the limitations of the preceding three decades, during which art was primarily shared in physical locations with restricted engagement. After the hit of a global pandemic in 2020, the world as we know it was ushered to a halt, which in turn expedited the transition of the world towards an online platform. We witnessed virtual performances, online dialogues, and an abundance of use of digital communication.

 

Through the years of pursuing our master’s degree, we observed a significant scarcity of information and a notable absence of ethical and collaborative efforts between different departments. The curriculum at the faculty of fine arts is deficient in comprehensive examinations of philosophy, critical theories and diverse manifestations of Indian and western art for the young artist and similarly inadequate in divulging practical expertise regarding material and procedures for the  young writer and curator. These discrepancies motivated us to form a community where the transaction of information becomes possible. The dearth of discerning written analysis and exposure for emerging artists, especially those hailing from less prominent locations. Our objective was to close this gap by offering a platform comprised of video interviews, reviews, and social media displays, to establish a platform where artists can engage in conversations on both the theoretical and technical parts of the discourse, to make this knowledge easily understandable to a wide audience, Initially, we began with film screenings, and participated in talks, but quickly recognized the necessity for a more structured platform. A collective that started with just four individuals later expanded to encompass a larger number of young writers and practitioners providing insights into the current state of Indian art, with a specific focus on contemporary artistic practices, art institutions, young writers, and collaborative groups, in turn opening a space that promotes the growth of art and research activities, with a focus on bridging the communication divide that has swelled as a result of political and institutional shifts in recent times, fostering a community that promotes an unrestricted sharing of ideas and thoughtful involvement with artistic practices, achieved through the use of open resources, movie screenings, and debates. Neo-Baroda is a digital collaborative that aims to connect traditional, modern, and contemporary which is engaged in three major projects that entail The 100-Artist Project, the idea of contemporary regional modernism, and the Padagouge project.

A period of time in recent history has been unaccounted for, due to which the existence of oral narratives has become the only source. So how does one go about the history of the past few decades? The 100-Artist Project answers such questions and more. An initiative dedicated to documenting artists of the 21st century, with a particular focus on those who remain underrepresented in mainstream art discourse. This is an attempt to redirect the focus, uncover, and promote the work of emerging talents who are shaping the artistic landscape from the peripheries, where innovative practices often go unnoticed. By directing the gaze towards these artists, it aims to investigate the ever-evolving language of art. Recognising that significant artistic developments occur not only in established art centres but also in alternative spaces. This exploration is essential for understanding the broader cultural phenomena influencing today’s art world. The project serves as a vital resource by illuminating the contributions of these new voices; it starts or encourages a dialogue surrounding contemporary art and elucidates a more inclusive perception of its diverse trajectories in understanding the contemporaneity of Indian art.

Neo-Baroda social 1, 2024, When art show wears a party hat. Image Courtesy: Chinnank Pasricha.

 

In early 2024, we received a grant from the ‘Jharkhand State Culture Department’ to work on their initiative to document and investigate the current art collectives of Chotanagpur and Eastern India, with a particular emphasis on the states of Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Orissa. The idea is to trace the origins of collaborative art practices that emerged in Santiniketan and to bring to the forefront the critical role of local and Indigenous traditions towards the development of the new contemporary in the region.

Neo-Baroda social 1, 2024. When art show wears a party hat. Image Courtesy: Harshada Raju Durshettiwa.

 

The investigation entails the identification and cataloguing of numerous models of art collectives that are presently operational in these states. The initiative seeks to comprehend how these  collectives promote collaboration and creativity among practitioners by analysing their formation, evolution, and contributions to the art world. We examine the inclusion of vernacular into current artistic expressions by investigating the influences of indigenous art forms and cultural practices.  By de-constructing the precarity of Indigenous modernism, we can ideate the periphery of art production in recent developments regarding art in Bengal, the Chotanagpur region, and further east, investigating the significance of the Manbhum region of Chotanagpur. Our research strives to illuminate the extent to which vernacular methodologies and philosophies have influenced the art scene in the East by examining their contributions. The documentation of art events, and exhibitions, as well as fieldwork and interviews with artists, is an integral part of the project. An archive would be created that would help us gauge insights into the dynamics of art collectives and their roles in the formation of social narratives. This investigation will be organised into comprehensive documentation.  Establishing the idea of a contemporary regional modernism, Neo-Baroda comes from a place slathered with a history of collective art practices, from the genesis of the Baroda school to the Baroda radicals. The familiar premises of the faculty of fine arts has always been home to a mobilised art community. Neo-Baroda builds upon, constructs, and deconstructs these pre-established notions of collaborative art practices. 

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