Europalia India

Since ancient times, water has played a key role in India, as evidenced by the Sarasvati river goddess, who has been invoked and sung about since the Vedic period (2000 BC– 500 BC). Since then, Indians have always honoured their rivers and associated them with their main rituals.

Water is considered a deity and a vital force, and the seven sacred rivers that criss-cross the country play a central role in the life and death of Indians. Over the last ten years, water has become a major theme in contemporary art. The artistic journey presented in Liège brings together photographs, videos and installations, which are completed by works that are developed during the presentation. By drawing on the mythology and symbolic richness of India, these artists offer us intensely poetic works. Of course, they often make reference to riverside communities and the way they deal with shortages and pollution. In the ever-expanding cities that surround rivers, a search is under way for a new urban identity and answers to future needs.

The artists tackle this from the context of a European river city. This journey takes place in the Grand Curtius museum and the surrounding area, starting on the banks of the Meuse River. Internationally renowned artists (such as Subodh Gupta, Sheela Gowda and Dayanita Singh), as well as young emerging artists, will take part. Three young Indian talents – Srinivasa Prasad, Sheela Gowda and Navin Thomas – will create pieces in residence, thus integrating the journey into the city itself.