The Empire Strikes Back

To coincide with a major exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in early 2010 and acting as a follow-up to the Serpentine’s Indian Highway (2008), The Empire Strikes Back looks at the face of con­temporary Indian art today. With an introduction by Zehra Jumabhoy, Editor of Art India the stage is set to analyse Indian art in the context of history, and how Indian artists are confronting some of today’s most important issues.

Indian art, like Chinese art, experienced a major boom as global economies soared, with this came new galleries, and a break into the international art market, reflecting a global demand for Indian art. In his introduction Jumabhoy asks some very poignant questions: “What has sud­denly shoved contemporary Indian artists into the international limelight?” He continues this line of thought offering some very engaging answers tracing the rise of contemporary Indian Art.

Artists included: Jaishri Abichandani, Kriti Arora, Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Huma Mulji and many others. The Empire Strikes Back is a beautiful collection and a must-have.

Cherie Federico