Devika Singh - International Departures: Art in India after Independence
Lecture and book presentation by Devika Singh, organized by the Institute for Art Theory and Cultural Studies (IKW).
The lecture will take Devika Singh’s recent book International Departures: Art in India after Independence as a starting point to discuss global narratives of art in India. Described as a major contribution to a new history of art, this captivating and richly illustrated account presents together for the first time the work of Indian and foreign artists active in India after independence in 1947. Exploring how artists in India participated in global modernism during a crucial period of decolonization and nation building, the talk will engage with the many creators, critics and patrons of the postwar Indian art worlds and open up new ways of thinking about Indian art.
Devika Singh is Senior Lecturer in Curating at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She was previously Curator, International Art at Tate Modern. She curated exhibitions and collection displays at the CSMVS, Mumbai, the Dhaka Art Summit, the Dubai Design District, Kettle’s Yard (Cambridge, UK) and Tate Modern. Her writing has appeared widely in exhibition catalogues, art reviews and journals. Her book International Departures: Art in India after Independence (Reaktion Books) came out in 2023.