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With the closing of the IndoCenter, artists like Anil Revri will have to find other venues for their art
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In
the end, it was a bittersweet experience to visit Manhattan’s
IndoCenter. A painfully silent emptiness filled the small space
while the beautiful drawings of Anil Revri’s stimulating exhibit,
“Cultural Crossings,” still graced the stark white walls of
gallery. On its last day, a few South-Asian art lovers still came to
take in the exhibit while lamenting the closing of the center.
Others
peeped through the doorway, quickly viewed the exhibit and walked
out, not even knowing the center was closing.
But
that’s how it usually goes in the hip gallery-laden Chelsea
section of Manhattan. Behind the ugly facades of industrial
buildings, small, chic galleries fill each floor -- beckoning New
Yorkers who often gather on the sidewalks waiting for some new
exhibit to open up. Some galleries quietly dig their heels in and
remain year after year, producing provocative interesting exhibits
as an alternative to the big museum scene.
But
others give it a go only to realize the simple fact that it takes a
lot of support and money to maintain a gallery. Terrific programming
and exhibits alone sadly just don’t cut it. And here lies the
IndoCenter, which shut down due to financial problems a month ago.
It’s
a shame when an up-and-coming art gallery – or in this case a true
cultural center – bites the dust. All the passions and good
intentions that go into the creation of such a center still linger
when it closes – more so when a community grieves the loss. The
IndoCenter was beginning to enjoy a greater role in the New York
arts and cultural community at the peak of its 18-month run,
especially when world attention turned to South Asia following
September 11th.
In
the wealth of programming that filled its last month, numerous
Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Americans, Muslims, Hindus,
Christians, Sikhs and mixtures of the like packed the gallery,
groaning every time program coordinator Mahnaz Fancy or founder
Rajiv J. Chaudhri gave yet another farewell speech about the closing
of the center.
“Because
of you, our dreams and hopes that the IndoCenter might become a
significant part of the cultural life of New Yorkers - South Asians
and non-South Asians alike - were realized in a short period of
time,” Chaudhri said in his speeches and a farewell letter posted
on the center’s web site. “While I am unable to carry this
important responsibility, at least in the near term, I hope that the
ideas, ideals, and goals of the IndoCenter will live on and inspire
others to carry the torch for the South Asian community.”
Those
goals and ideas – to build bridges between South Asian communities
and present a sort of united front to the rest of the world about
the rich political, social, cultural, religious and artistic history
of the region – do not end when a gallery like the IndoCenter
dies. Other cultural institutions in New York – like the elegant,
well-established Asia Society on Park Avenue – continue to offer
wonderful programs and exhibits with these very goals.
But
there was something special about the IndoCenter’s intimacy: The
family-touchy-feely approach of the staff, the very physical
smallness set against the immense reach of its art exhibits and
often big-name speakers. You really felt part of something here, and
they remembered you when you came back.
Apart
from the cozy atmosphere, the center’s true talent lied in
presenting intellectually challenging art exhibits along with a
variety of programming. The center was truly remarkable at drawing
in timely popular artists, writers and musicians as well as local
talent. Within its walls you could hear Pakistani rock group Junoon
expound on their homeland’s political and religious landscape,
listen to a staged reading of New Yorker Rehana Mirza’s Barriers
(a Muslim-themed drama) or hear Sumit Ganguly discuss his latest
book on the historical religious and political conflicts between
India and Pakistan.
The
art exhibits were no less fascinating. Being a South-Asian center,
the gallery featured numerous artists of various backgrounds and
beliefs. Though this obviously made for some displays not conducive
to a Muslim audience, other exhibits elevated discussions on Islamic
and cultural influence in art, especially with Revri’s “Cultural
Crossings” and “Painting Over the Lines: Five Contemporary
Artists from Pakistan.”
While
this reporter continues to lament the nonexistence of an Islamic art
and cultural center in New York, the IndoCenter provided ample
appropriate fodder for writing. There is a virtually untapped world
of Islamic art and artists, and the IndoCenter did a small but
valuable service in turning its flickering spotlight on such
artists.
And
so the doors have closed, and numerous young South Asians must find
a new place to gather. The website (www.indocenter.org)
still remains, offering some virtual exhibits and information on
what else is out there, but it’s not enough. It’s too bad that
the money ran out. Though I don’t know the deeper story there, I
don’t really care to. It’s just too bad that another eclectic
gallery has lost its chance to provide an alternate perspective.
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