Fantastic Realities tries to capture the elements of fantasy beyond the modernist tenets of surrealism by infusing postmodern, futuristic ideas to Oriental storytelling.

From the early 20th-century miniature, and the Indian modernist twist on fantasy, to contemporary augmented reality, the exhibition unravels a wide spectrum of art from across India. The figurative gradually transcends to the subliminal abstract; borders dissolve and contemporary existential dilemmas, questions and crises take over.

The exhibition points towards a profound psychological dilemma of the contemporary world in general – and a search and questioning emanating from that – with irony, humour and, occasionally, utter shock!

Fantastic Realities is also about aesthetics, imagination and the making of art; it asks the age-old question of where art-making stops and imagination takes over.

To provide a holistic overview, the exhibition includes seminal works by 36 diverse artists – both celebrated, as well as young and anonymous – across 12 decades and from all over India, and also has a musical excerpt from Satyajit Ray’s famous comedy, Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne (based on the original story by Ray’s famous grandfather, Upendrakishore Roychoudhury).

Fantastic Realities is one of our offerings to celebrate the completion of 30 years of CIMA as an arts centre. We take this opportunity to pay homage to some of the artists who have made this journey possible.

Rakhi Sarkar

Director & Curator
CIMA – Centre of International Modern Art
Kolkata
December 2023