Indian artists show different shade of rising urbanization

Indian artists display their works in a Beijing art show. Highlights include Unremitting Expansion by Pooja Iranna, Seventy Synonyms for Water in Sanskrit by Sheba Chhachhi, Vulnerable Guardians by Arunkumar H.G. and Untitled (Reflection) by Atul Bhalla.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A group of contemporary Indian artists is in Beijing to show works on urbanization, Lin Qi reports.

In Indian artist Pooja Iranna's photographic series, Unremitting Expansion, cities look like a labyrinth. The series is a comment on urban planning and how it produces complex structures.

Her photos present a suffocating view of urban spaces, not unfamiliar to residents of her hometown New Delhi and Beijing, where her works are now being displayed.

The two cities are among countless others in the world that are dealing with urbanization.

"People are sparing no effort to create, ... and have done things beyond imagination. But we've excessively used all possible resources, both natural and manual, and we've made our living space densely populated," Iranna says, describing what her images portray.

In the name of development, accumulated space and noise have replaced beautiful architectural structures and "graceful" living environments, she says.

Iranna is among 24 Indian artists whose works－paintings, sculptures, installations and new media－are on show at The Eye and the Mind: New Interventions in Contemporary Indian Art, part of the ongoing Indian Cultural Festival in China.