Celebrating six decades of Jogen Chowdhury's work

Emami Art, the contemporary art gallery at Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) recently inaugurated 'Reverie and Reality'– a solo exhibition of one of India's most eminent artists, Jogen Chowdhury. The exhibition has been curated by poet and cultural theorist, Ranjit Hoskote. The exhibition was inaugurated by Soumitra Chatterjee, eminent Film and Theatre Personality, Arundhati Bhattacharya, former Chairman of State Bank of India, Ashok Vajpeyi, eminent Poet, Art and Culture Personality and Richa Agarwal, CEO Emami Art & Executive Director, Kolkata Centre for Creativity.

'Reverie and Reality' celebrates more than six decades of Chowdhury's art.

This exhibition brings together works from all phases of his career over the years, spanning from 1955 to 2015, embracing a variety of media and themes. Renowned collectors and galleries from India as well as overseas such as Bollywood celebrity couple Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Masanori Fukuoka, Dadiba and Khorshed Pundole, Gallery Mirchandani and Steinruecke, Rajiv Bhargava, Prashant Tulsian, Abhrajit Mitra, Delhi Art Gallery and many more have shared Jogen Chowdhury's work from their private collection for this exhibition.

Jogen Chowdhury is one of India's most distinguished artists. His vibrant imagination reflects his dynamism, his curiosity about the enchantment of the everyday remains unabated, and he extends himself vigorously as a painter, writer, cultural organiser and institution-builder.

Speaking on the occasion, Richa Agarwal CEO Emami Art said, "We are privileged to showcase six decades of Jogen Da's exceptional work at our gallery. Reverie and Reality will offer the audiences an exclusive opportunity to go through a journey of emotions for the next two months."

Art Critic, curator and poet Ranjit Hoskote who also curated this show said, "Reverie and Reality' traces a retrospective arc across Jogen Chowdhury's oeuvre, from the mid-1950s to the present – a period that coincides with our history as an independent nation, with all its crises, anxieties, hopes and dreams. We have brought together nearly 200 works, spanning diverse phases of the artist's work, and spanning several medium including oils, water colour, graphite and charcoal drawings, lithographs, pastels, mixed media work, and book illustration.

This exhibition is a tribute to one of India's most distinguished artists in his many roles, as creator of images, teacher, cultural activist and organiser and builder of institutions."

Jogen Chowdhury stated "Artists express themselves through their artworks, which is a very personal and intimate experience. This is a very special occasion for me to share my journey of six decades for the first time at Emami Art, Kolkata Centre for Creativity."

The exhibition will be open from September 21 2019 to December 7, 2019 at Emami Art, Kolkata Centre for Creativity from 11 am to 7 pm on all days, except Mondays.