Delhi Blue Pottery Trust presents "Journey Through Clay" An exhibition celebrating 50 years of studio pottery at Visual Arts & Open Palm Court Gallery, IHC, Lodhi Road > 10am-8pm on 1st-6th March 2011

Time : 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Entry : Free

Place : Visual Arts Gallery and Open Palm Court Gallery, India Habitat Centre ( IHC ), Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003
Parking : Gate No. 1 to 3 ( Cars ), Gate No. 2 ( Bikes & Bicycles )

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Area : Lodhi Road Area Events

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Event Details : Delhi Blue Pottery Trust presents 'Journey Through Clay' An exhibition celebrating 50 years of studio pottery.
On the 115th birth anniversary of Padmashri Sardar Gurcharan Singh, founder of Delhi Blue, the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust presents a celebration of the art of studio pottery. Journeying back to when, after having trained in Japan, the young Gurcharan Singh returned to his newly independent homeland and introduced a vibrant new dimension to its ancient tradition of pottery, the exhibition traces the pivotal role played by Delhi Blue in the initial tentative recognition of pottery as an art form and the rise to its present, widely accepted status.
The exhibition is structured in two distinct parts:
One, a retrospective of the works of Sardar Gurcharan Singh and his son, Mansimran Singh, which also includes a large body of work of other Indian and International studio potters, is a joyous expression of appreciation for the skill that brings into being such exquisite forms of enduring beauty.
Every single piece exhibited is part of a private collection – a collection that emerged gaining coherence on hindsight, since it was never intended to be one. Each piece was acquired for its individual aesthetic appeal, a subjective consideration that had little to do with the way it illustrates or represents a body of work and more to do with a personal journey through life. And yet, looking at the whole – a remarkable collection of individual works of potters in India, from the time Gurcharan Singh, Mansimran Singh, and less than a handful of others began to mould the future of glazed ceramic-ware in the country, 50 years ago to date – it is possible to make out the influences, styles, and philosophies that have decided the path studio pottery in this country has taken until now and, perhaps, anticipate its future.
The journey has been broken up into decades, looking at events that affected expression in this medium, the changes in society that accompanied its gradual ascent from acceptance through popularity to style statement, as well as the new forms and techniques being explored today by an ever-increasing number of studio potters.
The second part is devoted to the family of potters so lovingly initiated to the art of self expression in clay by ‘Daddyji’ at Delhi Blue. Sardar Gurcharan Singh not only pioneered studio pottery in India, he influenced the aesthetics of contemporary India. 1 Factory Road was where so many of the country’s artists and studio potters –  from the few, who clustered around watching, listening, and trying to emulate his skill in the 1960s, to those who attended the classes that had to be organized by the 1990s – kneaded their first lump of clay and threw their first pot. This was where they learnt the basics before moving on to find their own style.
A very large number of Daddyji’s family responded to the invitation to exhibit at this celebration. Amongst them: M K Puri, Leena Batra, P R Daroz, Dipalee Daroz, Rachna Parasher, Lekha Bhagat, Kristine Micheal, Manisha Bhattacharya, Mansimran Singh, Mary Singh, Rahul Kumar, Rekha Bajpe Agarwal, Sonia Dhingra, Jyoti Singh, Shruti Bansal, Tanuja Jain, Sarojini Thakur, Sudha Pillai, Usha Garodia, Jugal Sankhiyan, Gautam Bhatia, Manjari Sherma…
The exhibition has been curated by Anuradha Ravindranath and designed by Rajeev Agarwal. And though, focused as it is around Delhi Blue, it cannot be a comprehensive overview of this art form in modern India, A Journey through Clay is the first exhibition to bring together so many studio potters linked to a single pottery, and to show their works under one roof.
As such, it is an opportunity not to be missed.

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