Art: IAAC Erasing Borders Passport to Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora 2009

Yes. Every year the Indo-American Arts Council puts together a collection of innovative art being made by South Asians in America and American-South-Asian-Americans. I've gone to the last 3 or so of these and look forward to the exhibition every year. While I'm a huge fan of old and new art being made in India, my own personal interests (obsession) with identity shit and the diaspora makes a lot of the pieces in this annual exhibition particularly dope to me and kind of a source of inspiration.

Take this jawn, "NYC Subway" (Mixed media, 23x26, '05) by Preet Srivastava, for example. I can dig it.

I came across Veru Narula's work at last years Erasing Borders exhibit and dug this piece he showed then, probably referring to Bhopal. He makes surrealist oil pieces related to global subconsciousness and is also a nice dood. Kathak Dancers, oil on canvas, 38x36:

This year Veru is showing The Digital Muse (Mixed media, oil on canvas, circuit board, string & glass beads -- 48 x 36 -- 2008):

And The Islamic Chess Revolt (oil on canvas, 48x36, 2006):

I'm also psyched to see Neil Chowdhury's work in person. Neil's work is inspired his travels to India, the land of his dad's birth. His father passed without telling him much about India and Neil's work, created from his travel photos, videos and writing, fuses together the realizations of his journey and the expectations he had built up for most of his life. Ancient vs. modern. Mythical vs. real. Imagined vs. lived.

"Cycles" -- digital photomontage, digital pigment print -- 2005:

"Street Madness" - 2006:

"Brahman's World" 2008:

"Another Man's Treasure" 2006:

This year's opening exhibition is at the Dowd Fine Art gallery at SUNY Cortland on Sunday, March 1st. Eventually it'll travel around appearing in a couple of spots in New York. The exhibit was curated by artist Vijay Kumar.