In most exhibitions, you are not allowed to touch any exhibit let alone hold it. But in KNMA’s ongoing exhibition “Very Small Feelings” you are encouraged to sit, relax, pull a piece of art off the wall and interplay with the exhibits, hug the giant puppets, wear the masks, whisper to the installations and engage with the art material.

Very Small Feelings – Revisiting Childhood

That is perhaps what this exhibition is about. We travelled to childhood while walking through the various displays engaging with the child inside all the while.

There was an oversized duct in orange colour with some old children’s books kept inside. It looked a bit scary but inviting at the same time. We went inside and Bedabrata excitedly found some erstwhile Soviet Union publications translated in many languages including Bangla. The dreamy illustrations made these books a sure hit with children and he would read those when he was small. There were old comics and other magazines from days of yore pinned on a felt board. The experience was somewhat like an adventure into the past.

The Bangladesh Connection

Another gallery was called “Ghar”. Mud-layered walls bearing white alpona was a clear Bangladeshi representation of a home. There were jars with candy on a shelf on the wall and made us nostalgic.

PIN IT FOR LATER READ

The surprise was that real people were part of this exhibit. They would ask the visitors questions about their home, and their childhood, in a somewhat low calming mechanical tone. We answered the questions, almost in a trance. This was sheer goosebumps.

We also wandered through streets of India and Bangladesh through the photo booths holding hands of Salaam Balak Trust and Samdani Art Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh who have collaborated with KNMA. There were paintings, sketches, installations, puppets, masks, books and magazines, digital art audiovisuals, and so on and so forth, all in the process of story-telling from childhood and back and then back to childhood.

While we ponder on that, the exhibition was curated by Diana Campbell and Akansha Rastogi collaborating with young artists from around the globe. In fact, this was the fourth exhibition in KNMA’s ‘Young Artists of our Times’ series.

Amitav Ghosh at Very Small Feelings, KNMA

A series of associated events have been organised as part of this exhibition. To that end, stunning images from Jungle Nama, a novel by renowned author Amitav Ghosh and illustrated by the talented Pakistani American artist Salman Toor were on display. KNMA recently held a conversation between Ghosh and Sukrita Paul and we were fortunate to have attended the talk.

Ghosh spoke about his childhood visits to Sundarbans and how that ecologically sensitive region has changed over time. His Jungle Nama was a verse novel based on the various oral myths of Sundarban. These myths were woven around Bonbibi, the Goddess of the forests, and Dakshin Ray, the King of Beasts.

The engaging conversation revolved around life and nature when Ghosh was a child. Through his simple but brilliant responses to Paul’s questions, Ghosh connected back to his Very Small Feelings and how!

Very Small Feelings, KNMA – Date and Time

That is food for thought. Meanwhile, if you want to see some stunning thingies, art, or just expressions of childhood in multiple mediums, visit KNMA, Saket between 4th July to 20th September, 2023; 10 am to 6.30 pm (closed on Mondays).

Also Read: Sitaare Zameen Par – An Exhibition By KNMA

How to Reach KNMA

The gallery is just behind the malls in Saket and is very easily accessible. The nearest metro station to KNMA Saket is Malviya Nagar (Exit 3) on the yellow line. From here it is an autorickshaw or a taxi ride for 5 minutes.

We bet you haven’t seen anything like Very Small Things before. It is not art. It is an experience.

Also read: Top Places To Watch Art Exhibitions in Delhi