By:- Richa Agarwal, CEO, Emami Art and Chairperson, Kolkata Centre for Creativity
“It’s an honour to have Dr Paula Sengupta curate an exhibition on printmaking at Emami Art spanning the Eastern and Northeastern states of India, and I’m so excited for our audience to see what she and our team have so carefully assimilated over the past few months. Emami Art has always placed special emphasis on the East and Northeastern regions of India. With PURVAI, we hope to continue these conversations that have only just begun, for this landmark exhibition on contemporary printmaking will highlight how the medium has evolved since the late 20th century and continues to inspire emerging printmakers. I am grateful to all the selected artists for trusting us with their exemplary works, and to Lalit Kala Akademi for collaborating with us for this exhibition.”
By: -Ushmita Sahu, Director and Head Curator, Emami Art
“PURVAI began with a conversation between Dr Paula Sengupta and me – to put forward an exhibition focusing solely on printmaking practices in East and Northeast India. Medium-specific exhibitions are not a new concept at Emami Art for we constantly strive to focus on practices that tend to go under the radar. PURVAI is to be a one-of-a-kind exhibition on contemporary printmaking and its expanded practices; and we hope to create a platform for emerging talent in this field alongside established printmaker-pedagogues who have contributed largely to the evolution and nurturing of this medium as well as its faithful practitioners. This collateral exhibition under the purview of 3rd Print Biennale India by Lalit Kala Akademi will urge its visitors to delve into the diversity of artistic language and approach.”
By:- Dr Paula Sengupta, Artist-pedagogue, art writer, and curator of PURVAI: Printmaking in Eastern India – Pedagogy to Practice
“In keeping with Emami Art’s mandate of building focus on Eastern India, this curatorial project includes the development and practice of modern and contemporary printmaking in the Northeastern states, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh from the late-20th century onwards. With Bengal as the pivotal point, delve into the institutional and artistic nurturing of the medium and map the role of art institutions in fostering printmaking in Eastern India, where infrastructural needs have kept the medium closely tied to pedagogy. We have foregrounded faculty and alumni who have sustained, transformed, and expanded printmaking practice, and have also focused on expanded practices such as bookmaking, graphic narratives, papermaking, textile-based approaches, digital and photographic processes, moving image, and sculptural extensions – in a wonderful celebration of Eastern India’s vibrant evolving printmaking ecosystem.”
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