Indian comics exhibition in US museum

Indian heroes and heroines in contemporary South Asia will be on display.

Los Angeles: A nearly four-month-long exhibition scheduled to begin here from October will showcase the legacy of India`s divine heroes and heroines in contemporary South Asian culture through the comic book genre. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art will present `Heroes and Villains: The Battle for Good in India`s Comics`, comprising 53 paintings, works on paper, and vintage comic books, on view from October 17 through February 7, 2010.

Indian comic book superheroes and their arch enemies are visualised from ancient archetypes that have long been depicted in traditional painting and sculpture, and are deeply ingrained in India`s historical imagination. Curated by Julie Romain and Tushara Bindu Gude, the exhibition mines the history of the comic book in India from the 1960s through the present. It explores the evolution of early Indian comics, which were modelled on American superhero comics, through the `Amar Chitra Katha`, a popular series based on traditional Indian epic literature and religious texts recounting the heroic deeds of Indian gods and goddesses "This is the first exhibition of Indian comics on view at a major museum. Here at LACMA we have the unique opportunity to consider this contemporary art form in relation to our extensive historical collection of South and Southeast Asianart," said Romain. To illustrate the continuity of the heroic narrative tradition in Indian art, a selection from LACMA`s historical collection of Indian paintings will also be displayed. These include folios from Mughal illustrated manuscripts, paintings and drawings from the north Indian princely states, and story-telling paintings from central India. Bureau Report