EQUALLY Guaranteed To All Without Regard

‘Equally Guaranteed to all Without Regard’ is a phrase taken out of a long speech made by Hail Selassie of Ethiopia who was also the spiritual and political leader of the Rastafarians. Bob Marley had also sung the speech into a song that started with the exhortation, ‘Until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, there is war.’

The organizers also invited 19 senior and established artists:

During the pandemic, like most people from all over the world, Indian artists too retreated to their homes and studios, working silently on their impressions about the world in visual terms. After two years of lockdown, when the world was reopened things were not the same as before. So many online platforms had come up to shift cultural, educational, and economic activities.

The new scenario, however, does not satisfy the artists’ craving for offline appreciation. The show ‘Equally Guaranteed to All Without Regard’ is an effort to bring the offline experience back to the lives of the artists. The show is framed to underline the fact that the artists have an undying spirit for survival and aesthetical explorations.

As the title shows rightly, a just world will be possible when rights and justice are equally guaranteed to all without regard to their race, gender, or politics. Today, the whole world is working towards that great future.

The artists in this show, in their works, bring forth the idea of survival and the fight for equal rights and justice. They will also talk about the ways in which a new world could be envisioned. It is imperative to notice that the artists have registered their varying moods during the pandemic and lockdown days.

“I am very glad that there is going to be an exciting exhibition after such a long pause because of the pandemic. This group show also features works of young artists and some works of senior artists of India. Most of the works are done in a contemporary style. An exhibition like this is happening after a long time and such shows should be held regularly. While the pandemic’s impact will stay with us for a long time to come, but, everything should move on with proper precautions and guidelines,” shares Asit Kumar Patnaik, one of the artists participating in the show.

According to the curator of this show, Johny ML, “We live in a world where the human relationship with every other thing around is askew. However, Post Human thoughts reveal how intricate relationships formed between the animate and inanimate objects in nature and the humans themselves have been redefined in order to create a world of broader understanding that helps in eradicating various kinds of phobias prevalent in the current human environs.” Hence this new scenario calls for different world order, unfamiliar and threatening to homocentric attitudes, to begin with, and then familiar and resolute in the longer holistic life process. 

In the context of the present exhibition, this theoretical premise is brought in to say that the marginal existence of some artists and their relationship with the mainstream ones is skewed at any given time though the equity-based process of aesthetic production could be impossible to achieve, there remains some hope towards which every creative person could move with his/her head held high. Creative endeavors are not a monolith, speaking one language and showing one attitude. It’s rather a multitude within a heterogenous sphere of living and ideations. 

“This show clearly talks about the equality of cadre maintained between two generations of Visual Artists from all over India. The insightful guidance of Johny ML and the initiation of a team of very young artists headed by Rajesh Singh and Kannu Behera is extremely praiseworthy. It is a pleasure to be a part of this show. After the pandemic, the world is getting momentum back to proceed with a positive attitude towards life with more care for the ecology as well as fellow human beings. This show will be like a new chapter in the visual art field in India post the pandemic,” shares Rohit Supakar, an artist from Delhi who is also a part of this show.

The works in this show underline the fact that there is always a chance for everyone in the art scene, without regard to race, caste, creed, and financial establishment. Also, it says that art guarantees such equity to one and all with its ability to transcend differences even while flagging out issues and negotiating with the contemporary realities, yes, virtual and real.

“This is a show of around 50 artists. A palette of various tones and shades. It’s a journey together with all elements of art framed in very personal touches. Seen through the lens of Johny ML. An event like this is a celebration and we all should celebrate together,” shares Ananda Moy Banerji.