Photos from exhibition in Kolkata, India

Photos from exhibition Translations in Kolkata, India.

Film still from Valerie Wolf Gang’s short film Distant Memory, which was part of the exhibition in Kolkata

“This was the first time that Kolkata had such a huge collaborative exhibition of artists from around the world” says Jayeti Bhattacharya, the programs’ project coordinator. “It was an important event to all artists in Kolkata. They are all Kolkata based, but from different cultural backgrounds, and for this reason we had a great variety in the works that were being displayed. The works of the international artists added another layer of interaction. We could not interact with them in person, but through their works we could have insights into their thoughts, understand their use of media and techniques.This was one of the most important aspects of the event: coming across so many good works that reflect different cultural background…” (from the interview with Jayeti)

The theme had invited artists to reflect on the challenges, difficulties and possibilities inherent in the effort to translate and communicate, both literally and metaphorically, and to the large and small changes and transformations which are part of the human experience. It was fascinating to see how the concept ‘translation’ was differently interpreted and expanded by the artists who participated in the show, as well as by those who attended the two week workshop.

‘Translations’ became a motivating, generative concept, full of potential for further expressive and intellectual developments, as it was well illustrated by the speakers who participated in the panel conversation on ‘Translating Culture’, the musicians who performed Hindu traditional music in the multimedia show ‘Translating Time’ at the opening ceremony, and the many visitors who were as well inspired by it.