Poetics of Relation – A Retrospective

The beauty of creation is that everything is unreservedly unique. Every creative is distinctively different, yet related. Thus, when they all come together, it is an experience that needs to be lived. After 13 years, Gallery Under the Mango Tree reflects on the artists that have contributed to and enriched our exhibitions with their work over so many years. Our upcoming show, “Poetics of Relation” celebrates every artist’s individuality in relation to each other. Inspired by Martinique-born cultural theorist and poet, Édouard Glissant’s (1928–2011) publication “Poetics of Relation” (1990), the show seeks to guide the audience to move beyond traditional notions of identity as fixed and singular. Glissant postulates frameworks through which he argues against all philosophical and political ideals to impose uniformity, universal or absolute values, and instead seeks to learn to deal with the ‘chaotic’ nature of our world to which we need to adapt to and not attempt to limit or control. Between contemporary textile art, photography and -painting, the retrospective group show attempt to link this idea to over 20 Positions of international artists, often negotiating hybrid identities and living in a globalized world. In the front room current discursive trends around textiles are represented through extraordinary colorful quilts of afro-indian Siddi Women from Karnataka and intricate textile works designed by Brinda Dudhat that combine tradition and modernity. The mediums of photography and painting fill the middle room with a juxtaposing presentation of around 20 artists allowing for the influence of each medium to be seen in the other. While a focus on South Asian artists is evident, Under The Mango Tree is proud to have hosted creatives with heritage from the regions of Central and East Asia, North America, the Caribbeans, as well as Eastern and Southern Europe. This exhibition is an invitation to observing, witnessing and pressing upon the exchange that occurs between art and the viewing; to not leave these experiences as a single time source of fulfilment but set roots to take notice of the surrounding and “the Other” without any order of hierarchy.