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June 2007 New York– Bose Pacia Gallery presents
"Put it On", a solo exhibition by the duo known as
Thukral & Tagra. The gallery is located at 508 West 26th Street on the 11th Floor, in the Chelsea district of New York City. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 pm and by appointment. This exhibition has been extended until June 23rd, 2007. The public is invited.
Based in New Delhi, Jiten Thukral (born 1976) and Sumir Tagra (born 1979) work collaboratively in a wide variety of media including painting, sculpture, installation, video, graphic and product design, websites, music and fashion. Put it On is a unique exhibition aimed at arriving at a range of probable solutions for HIV awareness and vigilance through the visual arts. Thukral & Tagra are among a new generation of young Indian artists attempting to present a personal rendition of what is happening in the cities of India today with a particular focus on the global epidemic of AIDS.
The exhibition will include large-scale paintings on canvas and mixed-media installations incorporating custom-designed products such as undergarments and foot wear. The art of Thukral & Tagra often presents a synthesis of the multiple mediums in which they work. The paintings are hung on vinyl wall-papers of their own design and fashion products are presented as store-like displays with messages promoting safe sex practices and with their own hyper-stylized logo incorporated throughout. The entire project has been described by the artists as "an eye opener (which has) taken us to places where things have become transparent, sensitive and responsible." Despite this socially conscious endeavor by Thukral & Tagra, they acknowledge that their effort is "definitely a mere baby step against the serious problem of HIV and its efforts."
Jiten Thukral completed his BFA at Chandhigarh College of Arts, India and his MFA at Delhi College of Art, India. Sumir Tagra completed his BFA at Delhi College of Art, India and his Post-Graduate studies in Communication Design at the National Institute of Design Ahmedabad, India. The artists have participated in a number of group and solo shows. Important recent exhibitions were presented at Gallery Nature Morte (New Delhi, 2007) and Teatro Armani, (Milan, 2006). In June 2007, they will present a site-specific installation in the Art Statements section of Art Basel 38 in Basel, Switzerland. They have received numerous prestigious awards and were recently singled out by Wallpaper as one of 101 emerging international designers and have recently single handedly designed the Indian Vogue offices. Both of the artists live and work in New Delhi.
*Partial proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to various charitable organizations dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS. For more information, please contact Moksha Jain at (212) 989-7074 or mail@bosepacia.com