Artists exhibit works supporting freedom of expression

An ongoing exhibition by Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) here voices the concerns of artistes from Delhi and Mumbai, over the growing "climate of intolerance" that took the country by storm last year.
Titled "Avaaz Do!," the 4-day-long show at India Habitat Centre here serves as a "platform for artists to express themselves through their creative work."
"These works have been specially made by artists in response to the climate of fear and threats to our freedom of expression. The thrust is that artists are putting out their voices through the medium of art," organisers said.
The exhibited collection of works was first showcased in Mumbai in 2015 when over 400 artists, curators, critics, art teachers and members of the creative community created small banner works as their creative response to the increasing imposition of a narrow and singular agenda.

The artworks were also a part of Sahmat's annual memorial function on January 1 this year.
The exhibition here takes a dig at multiple issues ranging from last year's Award Wapsi campaign by writers and filmmakers, to the long struggle undertaken by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the Dadri lynching incident etc.

Participating artists include Atul and Anju Dodiya, Meera Devidayal, Lalitha Lajmi, late Hema Upadhyay, Jitish Kallat and Reena Saini Kallat among others.
The exhibition also has a section dedicated to graphic compilation of the newspaper and magazine reports about several incidents including the FTII tussle, the Award Wapsi campaign and earlier instances of hate speeched, Love Jihad and the ban on the novel by Tamil author Perumal Murugan.

"These are all press reports on or related to what has been happening in the country in past one-one and a half years," organisers said.
Also on display are freshly re-printed 'Postcards for Gandhi' from Sahmat's landmark project in 1994 that celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's principle of non-violence. The postcards have been painted by over 100 artists.