Mohan Samant Centenary Celebration – 2024

Introduction by Roobina Karode, Director, Chief Curator KNMA
A lecture by Kishore Singh, Head of Exhibitions & Publications, DAG on Mohan Samant’s Life & Artistic Practice
Followed by A Sarangi Recital by Virtuso Murad Ali Khan

Magic in the Square – Mohan Samant, Centennial Exhibition, is a crisp exploration of Samant’s practice, which is also a tribute to the artist.

Mohan Samant excavates sedimented memory, fossil-like forms, and totemic imagery from his sand, dust, and gravel layers, raising cut-outs from the primary surface, thus giving his paintings a three-dimensional effect. They are neither relief nor flat; perhaps this in-betweenness is an adroit extension of his skills as a Sarangi player. The abstract nuance of classical music is translated in a subtle daintiness on his canvases.

Event Highlights:

• Lecture by: Kishore Singh, Senior Vice President, DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)
  • Kishore Singh will present an insightful discussion on Mohan Samant’s life and artistic journey, shedding light on his pioneering contributions to modern Indian art.
• Musical Recital: Sarangi performance by virtuoso Murad Ali Khan
  • Murad Ali Khan, one of India’s leading Sarangi maestros, will offer a captivating musical experience following the lecture.

Artwork Featured:

• Masked Dance for the Ancestors (Detail), 1994 by Mohan Samant
  • Medium: Acrylic, oil crayon, wire drawings on canvas
  • Part of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Collection

Date: 24th September 2024
Time: 7:30 PM onwards
Location: Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), Saket, New Delhi