Video Wednesday

New Delhi: After the successful launch of its path-breaking art presentation on video art in July this year, Gallery Espace now presents its third edition of VIDEO WEDNESDAY on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 as part of its innovative 'Reach Out' programme at Gallery Espace, 16, Community Centre, New Friends Colony.

Says Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace: "This unique project aims to reach out to the local communities and engage them with cutting edge new media art. As a gallery that promotes modern, contemporary and cutting edge art, we take this opportunity to exclusively focus on video art. Devised by the expert team of Gallery Espace, Video Wednesday also includes active participation of eminent artists, curators, critics and consultants. By the end of twelve such programs, a well documented book will be published on the video works and the artists who have already participated in this programme."

The participating artists include Kiran Subbaiah, Surekha, Umesh Madanahalli, Babu Eshwar Prasad and M.S.Prakash Babu.

M.S.Prakash Babu’s Three Months of Solitude is a 15 minute video which emphasizes on the paradox of human mind. He explains that: “When you’re in a crowd you prefer to be alone and when you’re alone, you want to be part of a crowd. You’re never satisfied with yourself, wherever you are.” The protagonist of his video is an Indian who is in Finland for three months on a scholarship. His sense of alienation is not merely because of physical detachment from life familiar to him but also due to a subjective point of view. He feels he is trapped in a dream…a reverie that doesn’t satisfy his soul.

On the other hand Babu Eshwar Prasad’s Splice is a 2minutes 35 seconds short video in the format of the Hollywood trailer- it has all the ingredients of a block buster gangster film. This film is a visual collage of action, promising and seducing the viewers to come and see the magic of celluloid. It is a farce, a bundle of predictable images and sounds that mocks us. It is a promise for the big film that was never made. His Dus ka Bees is another video that attempts at capturing the essence of popular Indian cinema posters that reflects all the ‘masala’. It is a juxtaposition of still images of multi layered film posters that is found on the walls of the city. This video follows the popular mainstream Indian cinema language and shows how the images in the posters contain a certain feel no matter who the star could be. It stresses on a pattern an average Indian popular film follows like sex, violence, etc.

Surekha’s Flovers is video that shows a game between two lovers, who exchange and play with flowers simultaneously. The flowers-along with their gazes of mutual obsession-act as a metaphor to varying modes of expressions and evocations of love and desire

Contemporary Indian Art has reached international heights in the recent years. The international art market is looking towards India for the new and cutting edge art. Many contemporary Indian artists have already been doing cutting edge new media art for the last few years. However, apart from the exhibition projects, no concerted effort has been taken by any gallery to showcase exclusive video projects and make it reach out to the common art loving public in the city. Video Wednesday in this sense, has proved to be a path breaker towards reaching out the common with cutting edge new media art.

The Reach Out program of the gallery includes, apart from involving local communities and art students with the new media art, instituting awards for upcoming art talents, documentation and library for public reference.