In February 2007, at the Guild Gallery New York, US, Vidya Kamat, who lives and works in Mumbai, India, presented her latest collection of Photomontages in an exhibition titled ‘Tales From The Edge’.

‘Tales From The Edge’ deals with notion of ‘holiness’ incorporating found images of popular representations of gods, goddesses, holy men and women. She articulates her ideological positioning by superimposing her own portraits with popular holy representations, through digital manipulation.

In the artist’s own words, "'Tales From The Edge’ is an attempt to understand personal/political/social iconographies articulated through popular/religious posters of gods, goddess and political personalities. The term ‘holy’ holds a place of great fascination in our collective imagination. It signifies the longing for a time or state that transcends the confining nature of everyday reality, existing only in tales handed down from generation to generation as a collective memory. The Indian public imagination keeps reclaiming this state through constantly inventing holy men and women who operate as beacons that once again herald such transcendent states. In my work I have used the visual props gathered from popular poster art that are usually employed to suggest holiness and then superimposed them on self portraits to construct quasi memories.”

“I believe that Kamat’s position on the sacred is interestingly unique, among contemporary Indian women artists, because she is invested in the deep structure of Hindu religious life. She is both participant and observer, not a neutral, iconic or behalfist intervener empathizing with another’s experience. However critical or adversarial her position is towards the milieu of her origin, she knows, both intuitively and intellectually, what the location signifies and demands.”

Vidya Kamat, (born in Mumbai) has degree in Fine arts and Post doctoral degree in in Comparative mythology awarded for her thesis on “Ancient Indian Myths and Symbol in comparative religion and Art” by University of Mumbai. She lives and works in Mumbai, and is currently visiting faculty for the subject of Comparative Mythology and a guiding teacher for doctoral degree at the University of Mumbai . She often contributes in the National seminar on art and culture and has published several papers in various journals and national newspapers.

She has shown solo with The Guild Mumbai in 2005, and 2003, and has participated in group shows with the Sumukha Gallery, Bangalore, ‘Change of address’ at The Guild, Mumbai, and ‘Anonymously Yours’, Lakeeren Art Gallery, Mumbai.

Nancy Adajania (‘Re-write’ essay on Vidya Kamat)

Images and text courtesy of The Guild Gallery New York, US.

Images from the Birth.Mark series courtesey of Sumukha Gallery Bangalore, India.

VIDYA KAMAT

Vidya lives and works in Mumbai. She is currently a visiting faculty for the subject of Comparative Mythology at the University of Mumbai. She often contributes in the National seminar on art and culture, and has published several papers in various journals and national newspapers.

Born in Mumbai, India

Education

1999
Ph.D. University of Mumbai, Thesis Titled: "Myths and Symbols in Pictorial Expressions as Seen from Sanskrit and allied literature."

1995
Diploma in Sanskrit

1992
Post Graduate Diploma in Comparative Mythology

1983
B.F.A.(Fine Arts) University of Bombay.

Awards

2002
Awarded National cultural Fellowship by Majlis-India, and funded by HIVOS Netherlands

1983-1984
Awarded Fellowship of Goa College of Art, Goa.

1983
Best Student award at annual Art Exhibition

Solo Exhibition

2005
Re-Write, The Guild, Mumbai

2003
The Catalogue, The Guild, Mumbai

Select Group Shows

2005
New Colors of Sumukha, Sumukha Gallery Bangalore
Change of Address, The Guild, Mumbai

2002
Tribute to Picasso, The Guild, Mumbai

2000
Anonymously Yours Lakeeren Art Gallery, in collaboration in the British Council of India, Mumbai

1999
Secret Life of an Object, Lakeeren Art Gallery for the Kala Ghoda art festival

1998
Invited to participate in the Pottery Camp organized by Goa Kala Academy

Public Art Project

2004
Tolerating Intolerance, A public art intervention project as part of a bi-centenary celebrations of the Asiatic Society of Bombay.