Department of Fine Arts, SN School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad unveiled the Annual Display of 2023 on the 19th of May. The department exhibited works of the outgoing batch of students of its MFA program from 11 AM to 8:00 pm, from 19th- 21st May 2023, in the premises of the Department of Fine Arts, SN School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad.
The Annual Display presented an extraordinary opportunity for students from the final year of the M.F.A. program to showcase artworks that have evolved over the two years of their academic program. It was a compelling mélange of the works of twenty-three artists, working with different concerns and artistic preoccupations, exploring the roots of their individual personal narratives. The exhibition was curated primarily by the exhibiting artists themselves, with the help of faculty, junior batch and staff of the department. The interdisciplinary approaches in the pedagogy of S N School helped artists to visualize ideas beyond the scope of traditional disciplines.
The Department hosted over 2000 visitors in a three-day event, encouraging the viewers to engage with the artworks and the artists. D.Jayaprakash, a practising artist from Hyderabad was moved by the articulation of inner voices. He stated that these inner voices are experiential and brought on by unique visual languages. A large number of viewers experienced a shift in the seriousness of concerns among the artists. Artists’ engagement with their practice showed deeply grounded themes that confronted the realities of the land and its society. This can be accounted for, as this was the first wholly post covid generation. These artists had a unique yet uncomfortable vantage point of witnessing the circumstances brought on during and after the covid.
The department also provided the visitors with the option of a curated walkthrough of the exhibition. Selavu K., one of the exhibiting artists, felt that the display presented itself as a comfortable and inviting area, where the audience felt welcomed by the Jute slippers for the audience, sitting arrangements and fresh drinking water as part of the display. Many participating artists also felt that the planning phase of the display was organized smoothly, which ensured the success of the event.
Baishali Ghosh, a Faculty member of the Department of Fine Arts, SN School, was moved by the diversity of the audience and community engagement. Visitors of all ages and backgrounds brought unique perspectives and interactions to the display. On the final day of the display, the Department was honoured by the presence of respected veteran Artist DLN Reddy. DLN Reddy was one of the founding members of the Department of Fine Arts, SN School in 1988. His presence was greatly inspiring for all.
Artists and faculty have had intense critical dialogues over the last two years, making this display a collaborative platform. The collective curation of the display voiced diverse yet unified empathy for the community and the self. Viewed together, the works presented contemporary worldviews in relation to concerns of community, land, social structures, and personal and political histories. Most importantly, the Annual Display of the Department of Fine Arts presented a singular and important opportunity for artists, art lovers and viewers of the twin cities to interact directly with each other in the very studio contexts and social spaces in which the artworks were made and displayed.
Contributed by Tushti Pundir