The flux in art: Fluxus exhibition comes to Delhi

ESCAPING RULES: Fluxus is an art movement that took place across Europe and US in the 60s.

Featured Blog

Rajdeep Sardesai

Maharaj or Dada, Ganguly's legacy lives on

Featured Slideshows

New Delhi: As a mark of constant experimentation, Indian artists today have successfully broken free from norms. But there's something similar that happened in Europe half a century ago.

The National Gallery of Modern Art in the Capital is showing something that would have the contemporary art world in India jumping with joy. It is showcasing 300 works from Fluxus — an art movement that took place across Europe and the US in the early 60s to break free from the expected conventions in art.

"It’s an exhibition that addresses all those issues of creative freedom, remain within a structure but break it as well,” NGMA Director Rajeev Lochan explains.

Fluxus looks beyond the canvas and made art out of collected junk and put it in boxes, cabinets or pin up boards. It invites viewers to play or create art. It also includes music that is interspersed musical notes with recitations. It's a style that is still unknowingly kept alive by contemporary artists today.

"Many young people are doing Fluxus and don't realise where the roots are. For instance video art wouldn’t exist without Fluxus,” Fluxus found member Ben Patterson says.

And with our own Indian artists experimenting with new media, the show is well timed.