Keeping up with Jake in September

It’s always baffled me that a love of visual art doesn’t necessarily translate to a love of the performing arts. I often meet people at Arts functions who clearly know their stuff when it comes to painting and sculpture – very educated, very cultured – but they’ve never heard of Indian Ink. Outrageous!

Of course, if the tables were turned and I was grilled on the NZ fine art scene for five minutes I too would be found wanting.

So what’s to be done about this sorry state of affairs?

Well, when someone asks you to join a group of contemporary Indian

New Zealand artists to put on an exhibition, you say: “Yes!”

The Kshetra Collective comprises of seven artists from diverse disciplines: Sarah Dutt (photography, painting, rangoli), Mandrika Rupa (film), Tiffany Singh (social practice), Rafik Patel (spatial art), Mandy Rupa-Reid (dance), Shruti Yatri (painting) and me (theatre).

We’re all part of the Indian diaspora but bring distinct perspectives of Aotearoa and India through our chosen artforms. The Kshetra Collective put on its first exhibition called A Place to Stand last year at the Auckland War Memorial Museum: Tāmaki Paenga Hira.

Our second show (do you call them shows?) called Invisible Narratives opened this month at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery: Te Pūkenga Whakaata in Wellington. Amongst all the amazing art from my fellow artists are original Krishnan’s Dairy masks made by Justin Lewis, displayed in interactive cabinets designed and constructed by former Indian Ink Next Genner, Moraig Humphries.

If you’re in Wellington between now and November 13, head on down to the New Zealand Portrait Gallery: Te Pūkenga Whakaata, Shed 11, on the waterfront and check us out. Don’t be intimidated.

As writer Jarod Kintz says: “I don’t know anything about art but I know what I like – pancakes!”

 

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