“Subcontingent”

Unlike many geographically oriented shows, “Subcontingent”—curated by Ilaria Bonacossa and Francesco Manacorda—is a stimulating and innovative survey, exploring the Indian subcontinent through the work of twenty-six artists, most of whom are based in the region. The show’s success lies in the curatorial approach: Rather than playing to Western stereotypes of Indian aesthetics, with the usual excesses of Bollywood irony, sparkling glitter, incense, and yoga, the curators selected a brilliant group of works that favor humanistic and existentialist meditations over spectacle. Political works are juxtaposed with introspective investigations, while historical documentaries interpenetrate conceptually formal compositions. Shan pipe band learns the star spangled banner, 2004, Pakistani Bani Abidi’s video of a group of professional musicians performing the US anthem, stands out as a portrait of a nation divided between international and local interests. Military tensions and identity politics also surface in Shilpa Gupta’s four photographs depicting the artist dressed as a young soldier, in which she poses as the multiarmed Hindu deity Kali. Sarnath Banerjee’s comics and storyboards illustrate the frivolous life of eighteenth-century Calcutta, while the artist’s plasticine video animation follows a man in search of the ultimate aphrodisiac. At the end of the exhibition, Sonia Khurana’s video trilogy perfectly summarizes the show’s intent. Three individual characters appear on separate screens: Mona’s song, 2003–04, portrays a eunuch singing melancholic courtesan tunes; the protagonist of Laura’s song, 2006, chants about the loss of six family members to multiple sclerosis; while the artist’s mother in Ma’s song, 2006–ongoing, having lost her voice in a dramatic operation, seeks comfort and warmth in traditional music.