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Few practising artists in India are as knowledgeable about international art histories and cinema, popular visual culture and vernacular traditions as Atul Dodiya. In 2005, he installed 'Stammer in the Shade', a large canvas propped up on metal crutches, behind which hid another painted canvas. The image was the title of a painting by Enzo Cucchi, a member of the 1980s' Italian Transavanguardia movement.Dodiya's latest solo exhibition, on display at New Delhi's Vadehra Art Gallery till February 29, takes its title from this work. It's classic Dodiya: luscious oil paintings on canvas and painted shutters of galvanised steel are combined with photographs taken during his international museum travels. This exhibition is not only a homage to the artists he adores, it also presents the context in which viewers see the work-framed, protected within galleries and museums. Dodiya's photographs show only a part of the painting, and sometimes the artist's signature (Courbet, Hopper, Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas, etc.). The focus is on the ornate or plain frames and the shadows they cast. Displayed as a series of small shrines, the shutters are placed as the central icon, with the photos propped on top. Atul Dodiya The images range from references to western art movements, such as Dadaism, Surrealism, Impressionism, Cubism and Russian avant garde painters such as Kazimir Malevich. The subjects are drawn from Biblical episodes, Indian mythology (iconic scenes from Krishna's life) and literature (such as Tagore's Sonar Tari and Melville's Moby Dick). In a 2005 interview, Dodiya said, "To hide a painting behind another painting, which a viewer can't see properly, is frustrating. In the process, the viewer would have to struggle hard literally to see the image behind. I am also playing with the absurdity of claiming understanding to any work of art." In his work, Dodiya lays out clues for an interested viewer to do a deep dive into multiple histories and practices of artmaking across time.The exhibition is rewarding in its breathtaking display of Dodiya's skill and, above all, in his playful dialogue with art history and with the frameworks of institutions and canon-making through which art is viewed..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Published By: Mukesh RawatPublished On: Feb 21, 2020--- ENDS ---

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Hide, and Seek

Atul Dodiya's solo exhibition is a tribute to the greats of western art

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