KOCHI: The lockdown pushed art exhibitions beyond the four walls of a gallery. Art now transcends borders, giving connoisseurs an opportunity to relish works from every nook and cranny of the world. Deepa Gopal, a Malayali artist based in Dubai, is now tapping this newfound global appeal by curating a virtual exhibition titled ‘Ignite — from within the confines’.The expo features eight artists and eight poets from different parts of the world collaborating on videos, art, poems and texts through blogs, Instagram, YouTube and all their social media handles. The expo features a total of 40 works.
The expo will see artists Ahlam Abbas (Beirut), Anindita Chakraborty (Hyderabad), Deepa Gopal (Dubai), Devan Madangarly (Kerala), German Fernandez (Peru), Lauren Rudolph (New York), Liz Ramos-Prado (London) and Yamini Mohan (Dubai) and poets Ardra Manasi (Manhattan), Ellora Mishra (Hague), Gitanjali Kolanad (Toronto), Joseph Schreiber (Calgary), Mini S Menon (Kerala), Namratha Varadharajan (Bengaluru), Radha Gomaty (Kerala) and Sonia Dogra (Delhi) participating. Each poet has been paired with an artist, thereby creating unique conversations and symphonies.
“Ignite stemmed from my love for art and literature. It also emerged from the need to address the current situation in a way that would leave an imprint of today for tomorrow. The scenario created by the pandemic has stirred up people and their minds in ways like never before,” says Deepa Gopal, who had been working on this collaboration expo for some time.
A lot can be lost in translation while holding a virtual exhibition, but Deepa chooses to see the positive side. “Virtually, one would not be able to feel the art, the aesthetic pleasure that one derives from engaging with it. Everything shrinks to the size of the screen and the one-to-one experience is absent. However, we are happy to even have a platform during these harrowing times,” says Deepa.‘Ignite - from within the confines’ can be viewed on the official blog https://ignitefromwithintheconfines.blogspot.com and Instagram: @ignite.fwtc.2020.