New Delhi: In the heart of Dubai’s thriving cultural scene, Progressive Art Gallery unveils an exhibition that dares to ask—can protest be quiet, spiritual, or even aesthetic? Titled “Intertwined: Revisitation of the Indian Art Narrative,” this landmark showcase invites visitors to walk through a visual history of dissent, individualism, and innovation within Indian Modern Art.
Running until 31st May 2025, the exhibition brings together an extraordinary constellation of artists whose works continue to shape conversations about identity, resistance, and legacy.
Curated by Wendy Amanda Coutinho, Intertwined reframes protest beyond its political connotation—positioning it as a deeply personal, creative force that transcends slogans and manifests through form, colour, and symbolism.
“Art’s relevance lies not in the adherence to any ideology, but in its potential to dare, to question, and to unearth the unseen truths of its time,” says curator Wendy Amanda Coutinho. “This exhibition is not about loud declarations, but about the layered acts of defiance—intimate, philosophical, formal—that shaped the trajectory of modern Indian art.”
A Pantheon of Masters
From the pioneering Progressive Artists’ Group—including M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, K.H. Ara, H.A. Gade, and S.K. Bakre—to modern visionaries like Tyeb Mehta, Bhupen Khakhar, Jehangir Sabavala, and V.S. Gaitonde, Intertwined highlights how these artists resisted not just colonial hangovers, but also the confinement of ideologies, markets, and expectations.
Their protest was often formal rather than political—seen in Raza’s meditative abstraction, Souza’s provocative figuration, or Gaitonde’s Zen-infused minimalism.
