TAC GALLERIES ARE OPEN Monday-Saturday, 10:00-4:00
August 11-September 30
Opening Reception: Sept 8, 5:30-8:00 pm
August 15- Event/ Artist talk to commemorate the Partition: India and Pakistan’s Independence from British Imperialism.
Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories, part 2: Partition Anti-Memorial Project.
The Art Center Highland Park presents the latest iteration of Pritika Chowdhry’s Unbearable Memories, Unspeakable Histories, part 2: Partition Anti-Memorial Project. Chowdhry founded the Partition Anti-Memorial Project in 2007, and in the past 15 years, has created ten different anti-memorials with the tenth one previewing at The Art Center Highland Park at the pivotal time coinciding with the final days of the year long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the 1947 Partition of India.
Chicago-based artist, Chowdhry was born and raised in India. She holds an MFA in Studio Art and an MA in Visual Culture and Gender Studies from UW-Madison. Chowdhry has taught at Macalester College and the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Unlike traditional memorials which often include fixed structures dedicated to tragedy that tend to fade into the background of daily life, Chowdhry’s anti-memorials demand the viewers’ attention in an ethereal and visceral way to honor the victims of the Partition of India.
With an expansive exploration of the Partition of India and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 that created India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the balkanization of Kashmir, Chowdhry relies heavily on the power of memory and the lasting effects of war, communal violence and abuse of power. The ‘anti-memorial’ installations give voice to those who have been historically left out of the common narrative. Chowdhry describes the work, “These rigorously researched, experiential art installations excavate the traumatic counter-memories of the Partitions of the Indian subcontinent, and unpack different facets of the Partitions.”
As artist, curator and writer, Chowdhry becomes an arbiter of history, exposing the counter-memories by retelling stories, both on a personal level as well as a global/ political one. The result creates resources that log the history that was lost, and builds a collection of images that develop an authentic story of this painful inheritance.
For more information about Pritika Chowdry: https://www.pritikachowdhry.com/partition-76th-anniversary
Borders and Boundaries Redefined
The profound work of Pritika Chowdhry inspired The Art Center Highland Park’s adjunct exhibition Borders and Boundaries Redefined. The Art Center Highland Park sought artists exploring how we define space, whether the literal borders in art, or the arbitrary lines delineating physical spaces such as states and countries, or the symbolic boundaries that separate self from others. The selected artwork reflects the openness of stretching beyond the confines and constrictions that often come with ‘staying in the lines’.
The impact of arbitrary lines, whether they be geographical or artistic, affect our politics and communities. They also can symbolize the boundaries of self and other. While, some artists prefer to draw in the lines, others defy the boundaries imposed by surface or space. This powerful exhibition builds on the ability of artists to take liberty in drawing their own lines, building their own borders that redefine and expand on traditional expectations.
Contributing Artists: Sharon Bachner, Monica Balc, Inseok Choi, Alice Cook, Xiao Faria da Cunha, Frederick Goldstein, Savannah Jubic, Janis Kanter, Cynthia Kerby, Thomas Lail, Joseph Mora, Erica Penuela, Karen Ross, Joan Ruppert, Boryana Rusenova Ina, Sabine Senft, Pearl Shread, Constance Volk, J. Russell Wells, Lisse Williams, Tzuen Wu, Valerie Xanos.
Pritika Chowdhry served as the guest juror for the group show.