BySukant Deepak

April 18, 2020 (IANSlife) In times when life has come to a standstill and the Internet is proving to be an important connection with the outside world, Shrine Empire has conceived the online exhibition 'Speculations on a New World Order' from April 16 to May 20. 

Curated by Anushka Rajendran,  the exhibit which attempts to highlight the extent to which artists can contribute to discourse during this unique moment —  confronting the civilizational oversights that have got us here. 

This exhibition has been conceived specifically for digital viewing, and several of the works were adapted for the platform. In these times, when most galleries and other spaces have temporarily shut down offices, this exhibition is a resilient attempt to establish art as an important aspect of life in times both good and bad. 

Despite the physical encounter with the artwork being necessary to the arts, for the most part, through this effort, Shrine Empire also aims to continue to support artists and other workers in the industry whose finances have also been severely affected.

Besides, the gallery will be giving 15 percent of all proceedings from sales of the artworks from this exhibition to the COVID-19 relief funds, in acknowledgement of the valuable work by healthcare professionals and other organizations supporting precarious communities, who are all risking their own lives for the larger good.

The participating artists include Afrah Shafiq, Anoli Perera, Anupam Roy, Bhagwati Prasad, Chandan Gomes, Gautam Kansara, Katyayini Gargi, Omer Wasim & Saira Sheikh, Samanta Batra Mehta and Sharbendu De.

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