Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan is celebrating 65 years of its presence in Kolkata with two permanent site-specific art installations by German-British artist Katja Davar.
The installations were unveiled at a programme on November 11 attended by Berthold Franke, regional director South Asia.
“This is a special occasion. 65 years is a lot! What a great time of friendship, exchange, shared learning and reflection, questioning, answering, and celebrating! In my capacity as a regional director of the Goethe Instituts of South Asia, I would like to express to all of you friends and partners, the city of Kolkata and the state of West Bengal, our deep gratitude for 65 years of your hospitality. It goes without saying but it has to be said that without this hospitality and great support that we have seen here for all these years, we would never have been able to go this far,” Franke said.
Astrid Wege, director, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, also addressed the audience on the occasion. “For 65 years, we have been inspired by this great vibrant city with its long cultural tradition, our partners, friends and colleagues from Kolkata, Bengal and India. It is a special pleasure for me to celebrate 65 years of Goethe Institut in Kolkata with this site-specific art exhibition On Cables and Cumulus. When I entered Goethe Institut, Kolkata, for the very first time I immediately had the idea that the staircase calls for artistic intervention. From now on, two large-scale artworks will be on display,” he said.
Astrid Wege addresses the audience
The art installations
Katja Davar’s artwork On Cables and Cumulus has two parts. The first, titled Myth, Knowledge, Industrial Logic, is a nearly 17m long piece of art that runs along the central staircase of the building. This textile work is a digital imprint of pencil drawings of clouds along with minimal embroidery. The work, although leaning towards romanticism, is not devoid of technical aspects as evidenced by the fibre optics and phone lines.
Katja Davar and her artwork Myth, Knowledge, Industrial Logic
At Depth the Bending / Old New World is the second part of the installation and is positioned along the horizontal walls of the Goethe Institut reception area. It is a pencil colour mapping of the 17th and 18th-century shipping route data, often traced back to Great Britain.
At Depth the Bending / Old New World, the second part of Devar’s artwork
Technology — both old and new forms — is a big part of Devar’s works. She tries to chart its impact on the social lives of people and the planet. Her works often combine drawings and textiles, as in the case of Myth, Knowledge, Industrial Logic.
In Kolkata, Devar was assisted by local artists Neelanjana Ghose, Sumantra Mukherjee and their teams who came together to give shape to Davar’s vision and endeavours.