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Contours of Identity: Francis Newton Souza & Avinash Chandra celebrates 100 years of F. N. Souza and pairs him with his fellow émigré artist Avinash Chandra, two of the best-known Indian artists in 1960s London. Their works, while markedly different in style, are notable for their bold explorations of sexuality while revealing complex negotiations with their cultural identity in Western contexts. It was in London that they first established their careers and formulated their distinctive artistic styles and sensibilities. Both achieved phenomenal success in London from the late 1950s but still had to contend with misinformed assumptions concerning their origins. Both were exoticised outsiders whose work was increasingly characterised by a liminal expression of sexuality. In different ways—Souza perhaps more blatantly, Chandra more symbolically—both used their art to explore the potency of sexual desire. For English observers, this was again inseparable from their being Indian. For us today, as we observe the similarities and differences between them in this respect, we find that each throws light on the other as well as revealing themselves, and this is what we explore through this exhibition.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
DAG: Mumbai, The Taj Mahal Palace, Arthur Bunder Road, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
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