Contemporary artist Debashish Paul is getting his first solo exhibition in Kolkata. The multidisciplinary artist is well-known for his explorations of how queer identity rubs up against a society dominated by heterosexual norms. Titled “A Thousand Years Of Dreaming,” the new exhibition is curated by Mario D’Souza and centres around the film “Hazaro Saalon ka Sapna.” It will feature performance stills, drawings and sculptures that examine queer desires against the backdrop of small-town socio-politics, marginalisation and stigma through an autobiographical-fantastical lens of the artist’s own romantic relationship.
Here’s what you can expect from this upcoming event.
“A Thousand Years Of Dreaming” will be a two-segment film that focuses on Varanasi, where the artist and his lover meet on the banks of the Ganges. The first film will show an enactment of a seemingly impossible ritual that is akin to a marriage between two men. It will highlight the societal and familial pressure faced by queer men in smaller towns and cities to marry women. Complete with a wedding band and a white horse, the barely dressed protagonists are shown to be adorned in flowers— their bare bodies in intimate proximity. The second film segment will follow the process of masking and shedding, washing and soaking, frustration and exhaustion amongst other states resulting from the concealment of sexual identities and the constant posturing required to keep it hidden.
With regards to Paul’s drawings, visitors will notice how he abstracts the body and its concealing garments into stretched, fantastical shapes that are man, animal, limb and cloth. Using material meant for adorning devotional sculptures, Paul codes these outcast beings as sacred.
According to Paul, this work was inspired by conversations he had with queer individuals from rural areas who came to cities for higher education while concealing their sexual identities. “Interviews with [these queer individuals] reveal a deep fear of coming out due to societal pressures. Many feel trapped, planning to marry women to satisfy family expectations, reflecting the strong family bonds in India. Through my work, I aim to highlight these personal and societal struggles, drawing from my experiences to advocate for a more fluid and inclusive society, while respecting cultural and ritualistic contexts. By engaging with history and mythology, particularly through the lens of Banaras, I envision a future where my personal relationships and artistic expressions reveal the hidden aspects of my true self, blending love, sorrow, pain, dreams and imagination,” he said.
Organiser Emami Art has previously shown Paul’s work at various art fairs, including Art Dubai 2024, India Art Fair 2023 in New Delhi—where he was also the India Art Fair Artist in Residence—and Art Dusseldorf in 2023. For Ushmita Sahu, the director and head curator at Emami Art, this exhibition is not just a showcase of Paul’s artistic abilities but also a compelling statement on the human condition.
"Working with Debashish Paul since 2020 has been an incredibly rewarding experience, as I've watched him evolve into an artist of remarkable depth and talent. Debashish's work delves into the complexities of love, identity and societal expectations, blending performance, film, photography, drawing and sculpture to create a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The tension he captures between the need to conceal and the desire to express is truly powerful,” she says.
Date: September 6 to October 26, 2024
Venue: Emami Art Gallery (2 and 3), 777, opposite Eastern Metropolitan Bypass Road, Anandapur, Adarsha Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700107