Saffronart will be mounting a colossal exhibition cum sale on Mahatma Gandhi titled Bapu. It features works by India’s stellar artists. Curated by Gayatri Sinha in association with Berkeley Square Gallery, it features paintings, photographs and installations.

In popular art it is Gandhi alone among the panoply of

Indian leaders who has been elevated to sainthood. In

calendar prints he has been imaged with a saintly halo, as the dying son of Mother India, or else ascending the heavens to join Jesus Christ, Buddha, and other divines. In popular imagination, Gandhi has been envisioned with

Krishna and Mother India, as a mythologised visionary for the nation. All this reaffirms his status as a moral force in popular cinema, global pop-polls and his vivification in the museum and gallery space by modern and contemporary artists.

“Conceptually, Bapu is hinged on what has happened in Mumbai post 26/11. It is evident young people are reassessing their role in a society which has the legacy of Gandhi-of non-violence. This show

examines the role of Gandhi in contemporary India,” says Dinesh

Vazirani of Saffronart, the website which will also host this show virtually, where the works will be for sale.

Visually, Gandhi is represented on notes, stamps and various other means of popular culture. However, it remains to be assessed how much of that his thoughts and values are translated into daily living. Twelve artists will be

interpreting the relevance of Gandhi in today’s milieu. It is also slotted around his death anniversary. “We hope to generate debate discussion dialogue through this show,”

says Vazirani.

This show encapsulates the vision of major artists like Jagannath Panda, Anandajit Ray, Ram Rehman and Manisha Parekh, all of whom mediate on Gandhi.