BySukant Deepak

July 7, 2021 (IANSlife) Capital-based Vadehra Art Gallery will host a group exhibition  titled ’Call me by your name’, featuring major artists including Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Arpita Singh, Shilpa Gupta, Sunil Gupta, Gieve Patel, N.S. Harsha and Sudhir Patwardhan. It has been curated by Udit Bhambri. 

Considering the fact that the ‘puzzle’ of love involves two components -- the self and the other, Bhambri says that it is in our nature to acknowledge ourselves in or with some kind of other-hood, so much so that companionship, even when experienced alone, becomes a kind of love. “The truth of our times is that any collective identity of ‘we’ is laden with individualities, and so in contemporary relationships, we often find that we are living both selfishly and selflessly, acting resilient through constant compromise while balancing self-indulgence with self-sacrifice.” 

‘Call me by your name’ asks the question – who completes us? While some shout out togetherness more demonstratively, others whisper in hushed tones – but what of this shared need to title it, engrave it, qualify it? In spite of individual transiency and love’s transfigurations, coupled with a kindred hope to celebrate its imperishability, why do some relationships struggle more with naming and why are so many kinds of relationships still unnamed?

Bhambri has conceptualised it as an ode to the complex make-up of contemporary relationships while exploring the linguistics, imagery and signification of love through expanded notions of coupledom. He says, “We live in unprecedented times – where social distancing is often more comforting than a hug. Relationships have been redefined by the pandemic, and today more than ever, we witness the true power of self-love, the genuine comfort of companionship, the thrill of reconnecting with an ex-lover and the satisfaction of reigniting our own latent passion. This exhibition is an exploration of love in its many forms. It questions the status quo, and it attempts to erase labels. It accepts love in its multiple facets and in doing so attempts to infuse positivity in a time when a relationship of one kind or another, is our only panacea.”

While the show is on view at the gallery, with prescribed social distancing and other measures, the gallery has also embraced a new immersive 3D digital technology experience via Matterport on their website, which offers a multi-dimensional mapping of the show. 

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Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in