Visit this unique exhibition in Mumbai to discover different perspectives of truth

Talking about art can often be a challenge As curator Anupa Mehta picks up the call this writer realises that there is a certain surrealism in trying to explain artworks some of which are still in the process of completion Yet it lends itself to the theme of Voir Dire In The Round the title of Mehtarsquos curation that opens in her Colaba gallery AMCA on March 13My story if often neglected Benitha PerciyalldquoIt is a legal term that literally means lsquoto speak the truthrsquo It refers to the process of preliminary examination where both prosecution and defense sift through the evidence examining their truthsrdquo the curator explains The artists featured include Sudarshan Shetty Valay Shende G Ravinder Reddy Riyas Komu Chittrovanu Mazumdar Bose Krishnamachari Benitha Perciyal and Arunkumar HG The works themselves range from sculptures to wall reliefs to offer a round perspectiveThis perspective is at the core of the curatorial concept Voir Dire goes beyond the legal term and into an examination of truth in the philosophical sense she notes ldquoThere is no absolute truth There are always variables I am using the concept of various truths and perspectives and how they are shaped to explore what the original intent of the artwork isrdquoSacred Object G Ravinder ReddyThis examination of truths acquires another layer of meaning in the works themselves For instance Riyas Komursquos wall relief is a stark depiction of a skeleton with its clearly defined brain mdash like guts spilling out says Mehta mdash that symbolises the struggle of a creative thinker in an increasingly oppressive society The artist himself notes it as a continuing exploration ldquoI think society today has created a sense of numbness When I read the concept note by Mehta I thought of a similar kind of extremity that the artist goes through and through which art allows you to respondrdquoUntitled Sudarshan ShettySimilar to these are Mazumdarrsquos A lost note on an altar that depicts a broken violin at once political and lyrical mdash an elegy for all that we have lost says Mehta Shende approaches it with a more direct statement through his work EVM showcasing a metal trap etched with the words to warn about the democratic processYet the works are not activism Mehta explains She points to Sudarshan Shettyrsquos untitled work featuring two vases part wooden part porcelain that explore memories and absences of old homes Benitha Perciyalrsquos My story if often neglected is a sculpture that works on two levels of shape and sense ldquoBenitha uses myrrh and sandalwood to shape her sculpture giving it a fragrance She has used a discarded pillar from a home to create the bust of a man It is how people are often edified forgotten and yet there is a lingering memory that staysrdquo Mehta elaboratesFrom left Anupa Mehta Riyas Komu and Bose KrishnamachariAnother familiar city name that finds its way into the curation is Bose Krishnamachari whose work Genie brings a city icon to light ldquoI was looking at the most important icon on the human level the dabbawalla who played an important role The bronze dabba is an icon of survival Then there was Gandhirsquos lathi an element that I wanted to bring to embody the influence he had on me I brought these two or three elements to play to create an object that embodies optimism and memoryrdquo the artist sharesThese objects ordinary and everyday in their presence embody the multiple truths the artists explore Mehta says ldquoThese things are commentaries on the materiality of things On one level they are hallowed art objects and on another level they have a certain irony about themrdquo This is the first part of the exhibition with a second to follow in June Mehta concludes ldquoThe second show will also have eight artists but from a younger and newer generation Incidentally their concerns lean towards the environment making for an interesting observationrdquoFROM March 13 to April 30 11 am to 6 pmAT AMCA Colaba Ground floor Royal Terrace 58 Wodehouse Road Colaba