This year's selection of participants is an international and interdisciplinary mix of artists from the fields of design, film, illustration, literature, dance and music.
In the last two editions, Kulture Shop has exhibited over 40 artists and their works in Cologne Germany. Our aim is for Indian graphic art, design and culture to be seen worldwide, reflecting the ongoing discourses at both the local and global levels.
INDERNET 2018 was held from June 2 to June 9, as part of the 10th Cologne India Week. The pieces on display cover the work of 29 artists (including 27 Kulture Shop artists), and how digital culture influences their art and their process.
At INDERNET 2019, we presented artworks and designs by Indian and India-inspired creatives centered around. In addition, there was a design market and a diverse program consisting of workshops, presentations and culinary highlights.
INDERNET 2020
This year’s INDERNET exhibition is a virtual show consisting of interactive videos, numerous interviews, showcases and exclusive performances, as always depicting the parallels between Indian culture and digital culture.
THIS YEAR'S SHEDULE IS JAM PACKED
View large version Here
Catch a session live on https://www.instagram.com/masalamovement/
KULTURE SHOP - DESIGN FOR CHANGE
"It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live." - Nina Simone
Joining forces with Masala Movement to further spread our artists' messages on social change was a logical and most welcome step. In 2013-14, Kulture Shop launched a series of themes for the artists to engage with. One of our themes was titled Design for Change, encouraging our 20 curated artists at the time to champion a cause, voice their option and take a stand on injustices around the world. At the time the platform was still developing and few artists had the confidence to tackle the brief.
Jump forward 6 years to 2020 and the world is a very different place. These are unprecedented times with a global lockdown and social issues being highlighted with both a global and local perspective. Creativity has the opportunity to help reframe past systems that have not been working for a long time. Design has the power to change the world beyond merely aesthetics.
Over the years, the platform has grown to 120+ curated Indian graphic artists and in the process the scene has found its voice. Artists and designers are engaging in social awareness and designing for wider audiences. Below are just a few selected works from Indian Graphic Artists dealing with a wide range of current societal concerns.
THE ARTWORKS CURATED ARE:
ANIYA VARGHESE - Stay at Home (Lockdown Series)
Staying home is hardly the most glorious of ways in recorded history to save lives. However, in this day and age it is the most effective. The long list of side-effects include impatience, restlessness, loneliness, depression and an unhindered craving for the great outdoors.
LOKESH KAREKAR - Flatten the Curve (Lockdown Series)
Each artwork in Lokesh Karekar’s series is a clever juxtaposition of objects and scenes that have become a familiar sight as a result of the Covid-19 crisis with a graph of the increasing number of cases. It is a wonderful commentary on our present and near future.
MIRA F MALHOTRA - RESIST -
This RESIST poster was created by Mira Malhotra for Creatives Against CAA curated by the Kadak Collective. It chronicles a special characteristic of the Anti-CAA protests: the marginalised are at the forefront of the movement. Womxn and other minorities have been protesting fascism and patriarchy over the past few years which culminated into the Anti-CAA protests. These are strong womxn taking back their power and fighting for a fairer world for all.
OSHEEN SIVA - Kaliamman - (Women's Rights - Destigmatize Menstruation)
Kali or Kaliamman as she's called in South India, is one of the most eminent goddesses in Indian mythology. Considered to be a strong mother-figure and symbolic of motherly-love, Kali also embodies "shakti"- feminine energy, creativity and fertility. The poster is Osheen’s bid to engage and educate people to accept the natural process of menstruation without taboo or shame.
OSHEEN SHIVA - Protest for Acceptance (Anti Citizenship Amendment Bill and the National Register of Citizenship)
The Citizenship Amendment Act protest movement started nationwide in Dec 2019 as a response to the CAA and NRC bills passed by the government. The bill essentially provides citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan but categorically rejects Muslims under the same conditions. This artwork strives to reject discrimination on the basis of religion, and end police brutality in the name of reinforcing the government's authority.
RANGANATH KRISHNAMANI - Quarantine (Lockdown series)
This series by Ranganath Krishnamani depicts some interesting moments, observations captured within ordinary items that gained significance during the Covid-19 lockdown. They carry echoes of self-isolation and limitations of space, highlighting the invincible human spirit.
VARSHINI RAMAKRISHNAN - A Brighter Future ( Lockdown series)
Varshini Ramakrishnan depicts, in the most innocent of ways, how we await the arrival of good days as one waits for the arrival of a most dear guest, anxiously trying to catch the first glimpse from a balcony. The artwork includes items that Indians commonly use to dispel evil like the lemon and chilli wall hanging, the sacred thread on the delicate wrist, even though the fear is not outside, it's inside us. It is a reminder that each situation is temporary and better days are coming.
VIJAY KRISH - RISE (Chennai Floods Support)
A relentless downpour flooded and submerged Tamil Nadu's capital city of Chennai on December 1, 2015. The heaviest one-day rainfall in the region (494 mm or 19.45 inches) in more than a century left more than three million people without basic services. This artwork is Vijay Krish's dedication to the people of Chennai and their effort in the recovery of the city and its people after the floods.
INDENET 2020 - PLAYLIST
To accompany your tour of the virtual exhibition, our Curator, Kunal Anand, also selected some tracks for an Indernet Spotify playlist inspired by the Asian underground music scene and a few more recent audio gems.
Now, more than ever, artists and designers are engaging with social topics as they arise around the globe. Stay in touch with us as we curate and feature stories from both a local and global perspective across our social media.
20% of all Kulture Shop sales are donated to the Give India NGO for those in need.