Independent India is 75 years old. Old enough to have accomplished a lot, and young enough to be energized by new possibilities every day. We capture different aspects of the old and the new in listicles of 75 fun, inspiring, surprising and meaningful facts in this special Independence Day Series.
Young artists from Kerala to Kashmir and Maharashtra to Manipur are on a creative journey that could rewrite the history of contemporary art in India in the coming decades. Most of them in their 20s and fresh out of art schools, these artists use stories from their backyard and even those told by grandmothers to raise question around issues like climate change and unsustainable development. Photography and painting, performance art and multimedia, sculpture and video, and digital art aid their creativity aimed at addressing social evils like injustice and violence against women, Dalits, the poor and the marginalised. Social and environmental concerns draw these young artists closer than those who came before them. Changes in academic practices and churning of campuses have directly contributed to this new generation of artists. Many senior artists and educators have fought for these new tools of learning that were not available to them when they were students or teachers on campuses filled with contempt for change. The scene is now changing with a new generation of artists. Here is a list of 75 young Indian artists transforming the contemporary art landscape in the country:
