TO LET THE WORLD IN
The first volume of the film chronicles the spirit and legacy of a movement that marked the return to narrativity and figuration in Indian art. The exhibition titled “Place for People”, which was held in Delhi and Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1981, brought together a group of artists and a critic who sought to explore locality, class and politics in their practice. The film traces the artists’ concerns reflected in their work, tracing it down to the present day. Among the inheritors of the legacy of this movement were younger artists who continued this dialogue and also became the interlocutors for the work started by the earlier generation. The artists featured in this volume are Arpita Singh, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Vivan Sundaram, Nilima Sheikh, Nalini Malani, Sudhir Patwardhan, Ranbir Kaleka, Pushpamala N., Anita Dube and Atul Dodiya along with art critic and curator Geeta Kapur. Their conversations see frequent visitations by the endearing spirit of Bhupen Khakhar, their friend and co-artist.
These stills were taken during the making of the film.