New Delhi / New Wave

The recent Bollywood craze in the West might get more exposure, but contemporary Indian artists aren't far behind. "New Delhi, New Wave" is the best introduction to date to the work of established and emerging Indian artists--many of whom are dealing with the theme of women in fresh ways. Pushpamala N., for example, makes Cindy Sherman-esque portraits of herself as Indian female icons, from religious leaders to Bollywood actresses, while Anita Dube combines installation, photography, collage and video to explore Hindu iconography and tradition through a Feminist lens. Subodh Gupta, one of the best-known Indian artists on the international scene, uses quotidian objects to explore identity. At last summer's Venice Biennale, Gupta caused a sensation with "A Very Hungry God" (2006), a 2,000-pound skull crafted from shiny silver pots and pans, which he installed on a floating base in the Grand Canal. Shila Gupta, born in 1976, one of the youngest artists surveyed here, represents Delhi's newest wave. She has created a series of interactive works on the Web (www.blessed-bandwidth.net), where visitors are invited to choose a religion so that they may receive a blessing. Other artists introduced in this volume are Bala Subramaniam, Sonia Khurana, Thukral & Tagra, Baba Anand, Bharti Kher and Krinaraj Chonat.