Exhibition captures angst of refugees through photos, films

Rajan Sharma New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Artists from across the globe areattempting to capture the most pressing human tragedy of ourtime — the global refugee crisis, that has left over amillion people displaced. ‘Getting Across’, an ongoing exhibition featuresphotographs, films and postcards by artists from Belgium,Albenia, Pakistan and India. The 15-day long show, which is curated on the premise thatborders are artificial constructs based on arbitrarydecisions, attempts to narrate their "gruesome impact" onindividuals. "We need to examine whether we move towards a world thatis increasingly globalised economically, but at the same time,compartmentalised ethnically, religiously and politically. Ordo we still move forward towards a world of cosmopolitanism,or do we face a world of isolation and nationalism?" saysKanika Kuthiala who has curated the exhibition. The multi-venue event is being held at Vadehra ArtGallery, India International Centre and Bikaner House heresimultaneously. Indian filmmaker and artist Amar Kanwar, whose film, "ASeason Outside" is being screened at the exhibition, says heremained unaffected by the tales of Partition until hewitnessed the anti-Sikh riots of 1985. "That was the first time that I, in a way, crosssedborders. I relived the Partition that I had only heard ofuntil then," he says. The 1997 film introduces themes of borders, nationhood andviolence, by offering a subjective view of India in the 50years since Partition. According to Kuthiala, the exhibition tries to delve intothe political ramifications of man-made boundaries and hownative and migrant populations respond to such situations.(MORE) PTI RJS TRS BSA BKTRS