Dreamscapes, hosted by Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai is a beautiful coming together of two artists from diverse cultures and geography — Argentinian artist Julia Romano (represented by Basu Foundation for the Arts, Calcutta), finalist of the Arte Laguna Prize 2021, Venice; and Bombay-based artist Meghna Patpatia. They have come together to create “dreamscapes that question what is real and fiction, physical and metaphorical — this intricate relationship with the scape: a universally experienced relationship by all on this planet”. Their works combine mythology and ancient anthropology but are not without the inclusion of existing realistic elements.

“The vision was to bring an international artist and an Indian artist together. Especially in a post-pandemic world, we wanted to show how we’ve all come even closer. A two-person show with a dialogue between artists separated geographically but united in their expression, was an interesting juxtaposition. It was interesting for me as curator to see the synergy between Julia and Meghna’s works and how they both had this surreal perspective when they looked at landscapes, but they showed it in their own unique ways — Meghna with her mythological monotone colours and Julia with her vibrant multicoloured sketches. The response has been amazing and more importantly, it has intrigued viewers to spend more time looking at the art and engaging with it,” said Sanjana Shah, curator for the show and the India ambassador of Arte Laguna Prize.

Confinement, 2020 (ink on paper and textile) by Meghna Patpatia

Changes of State (Landscape 64), 2021 by Julia Romano

The exhibition was also the first collaborative project between the Basu Foundation for the Arts and Tao Art Gallery. Speaking on the exhibition, Abhishek Basu, from the Basu Foundation for the Arts, said: “Every year, Basu Foundation gives an Award of Excellence to an international artist from Arte Laguna Prize Venice for an all-expense-paid residency at the Foundation, which is followed by a travelling exhibition across India. This year we selected Argentinian artist Julia Romano but due to the pandemic we postponed the residency. However, we started with the exhibition at Tao Art Gallery Mumbai, with the patronage of the consulate of Argentina in Mumbai. Sanjana Shah from Tao Art Gallery who is also the ambassador of Arte Laguna Prize and the Foundation team decided to create a dialogue between Romano’s work from Argentina and an Indian artist, thus introducing the fascinating works of Meghna Patpatia from Mumbai.”

Overall, Dreamscapes beautifully highlights aspects of co-existence and cultural synergy with a subtle undertone of the threat of depletion in a dystopian future.

Pictures: Courtesy of the gallery