SAMSARA

(“Richborough Road Temple”: oil on canvas by Aidan Walsh)

To commemorate 150 years of the arrival of Indentured Indians to South Africa, the Durban Art Gallery has curated an exhibition of contemporary art. Titled SAMSARA: a continuous pursuit, it opens on November 26. Most of the work is drawn from the permanent collection of the DAG alongside loans from other SA museums and galleries also including independent artists from all areas of the country.

The exhibition is a celebration of Indian influenced art that highlights the impact Indian life has had in a broader South African context. Diverse works by older visionaries sit alongside younger cutting-edge artists exploring similar themes and motifs. The exhibition enables the viewer to see the establishment of cultural traditions juxtaposed against current social preoccupations. Many of the works on the show engage with oeuvres of identity, legacy and heritage.

Overarching themes have been identified and explored to unpack political, religious, cultural and social practice. The majority of work is by artists of Indian descent and we have sought the participation of artists who have been influenced by symbols and identities associated with Indian culture.

Approximately 50 works will be on view spanning a wide range of media including painting, photography through to video and installation. Younger artists such as Zen Marie, Reshma Chhiba, Usha Seejarim and Sharlene Khan deal directly with family histories, expectations and ritual through new media. Ravi Govender and Kiren Thathiah explore spirituality through oils and Ken Godfrey imbues almost a pop approach to cultural icons through vibrant watercolour. Zainab Reddy and Ebrahim Badsha will form the backbone telling stories of histories past.

The exhibition was coordinated and curated by Jenny Stretton and Liesa Hillar from the Durban Art Gallery in collaboration with Selvan Naidoo, an art teacher at Northwood School and National Design Examiner. Guidance in shaping the structure of Samsara was kindly rendered by Riason Naidoo, curator at the South African National Gallery (Iziko) and Vedant Nanackchand, Head of Department, Visual Art Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture University of Johannesburg.

SAMSARA: a continuous pursuit will be opened at the Durban Art Gallery on November 26 by Kiren Thathiah, a professor and HOD of Visual Arts and Design at Vaal University of Technology. The 1860 legacy foundation has also assisted in scheduling this exhibition as one of the many events in the calendar itinerary of celebrating the arrival of Indentured Indians to South Africa since 1860.

This 1860 Legacy Exhibition will run until February 13, 2011.