Since it was formed in 1989, Sahmat has brought together diverse artists, performers, and writers on a common programme of resistance against attacks on freedom of artistic expression and dissent. Today, as the idea of India is being revamped into a singular, homogenised nation, severed from its composite and diverse heritage, ICF celebrates plurality and building of political solidarity of cultural expression.
In this ten-part series, the Indian Cultural Forum will showcase Sahmat’s work over the years — in visual, theatrical, musical or written form.
Art on the Move (2001)
For Art on the Move, Sahmat invited 16 artists to conceive mobile works that would take cues from modes of transport used by labourers, street vendors, and rickshaw pullers—namely, bicycles, pushcarts, and hand/cycle rickshaws. Conceived by Vivan Sundaram, this project imaginatively weaves together ideas of art, mobility and public, around themes like city, globalisation, metropolis, home. It was among the group’s earliest projects seeking a wider engagement among artists, the city, and its people.
