Press Release

Ashish Balram Nagpal Galleries, Mumbai proudly presents Chintan Upadhyay's solo exhibition project, 'Pet Shop'.

The show will be formally opened for the public on 18th July 2008 at Ashish Balram Nagpal galleries for contemporary art - colaba Mumbai.

Chintan Upadhyay, one of the highly acclaimed cotemporary artists in India, in 'Pet Shop' forwards a critique on social hypocrisy that ranges from keeping 'pets' to keeping 'art'. Hypocrisy, for Chintan Upadhyay is a double edged sword. It could be a floating device to survive the social floods and at the same time it could be a tool for critiquing such devices. In this project, Chintan plays with this ambiguity effectively.

'Pet Shop' is a 're-presentation' in Mumbai, as these works have been travelling in international shows.

'Smart Alec Babies', the ideological carriers of Chintan Upadhyay, once again play the central role in 'Pet Shop'. As seen usually in Chintan's paintings and sculptures, in this project too, these babies are seen smart, upright and arrogant, with their bodies painted over by selected images from Indian miniature art. They are beautiful and inviting. But this time they are in cages.

Chintan Upadhyay uses 'cage' as an ironic metaphor. Cages protect and at the same time limits. The babies that he has been 'producing' for hosting his artistic ideas have now become almost like 'pets', the artist seems to say. The smart alec babies need cages in the same way the pets need cages. In their confinement, both the pets and works of art are denied possibilities though they show potential social presence.

"Art has become like pets," says the maverick artist Chintan Upadhyay. "Art is costly and needs special care and treatment. It has become a very expensive affair and only the experts can handle art these days. I play upon this association between pets and works of art. Perhaps, my babies have become so mischievous that they need to be caged," comments Chintan.

"We have been showcasing the very daring works of Chintan Upadhyay for the last one decade and it is our pleasure to present Chintan's social critique in the form of a project titled 'Pet Shop'. Chintan has always been critical and this time one can see him targeting the very product of art itself," says Ashish Balram Nagpal, the director of the Ashish Balram Nagpal Galleries.

Chintan, with his prices consistently appreciating in the international market, is just back in India after his highly successful solo show, 'New Indians' in Paris this summer. Critics qualify him as the 'Pope of Indian Political Pop'. Chintan is political and popular.

~ Johny ML

Chintan Upadhyay's solo show "PET SHOP"

will be on view from the :
18th of July to the 18th of August 2008 at

Ashish Balram Nagpal - COLABA
Galleries for contemporary art
No. 7, The Courtyard, S.P. Centre, Behind Radio Club,
41/44 Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005. INDIA.
TEL: +91 22 - 5638 5472
Gallery Timings: 11am to 8pm (Mondays Closed)