LUPE - the exhibition

A glimpse into the works of graphic novelists from Switzerland and India at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. [dated December 2008]

LUPE - a glimpse into the work of graphic novelists - 4 each from Switzerland and India - to be published jointly in German and English by Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council, Edition Moderne and Phantomville in 2009.

On view from 1 - 10 December 2008 at Central Court, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Curator: Sarnath Banerjee
Designer: Vishal K Dar
Supported by the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre.

Graphic Novelists: 
Andrea Caprez, Andreas Gefe, Ashish Padlekar, Christophe Badoux, Christoph Schuler, Kati Rickenbach, Orijit Sen, Samit Basu, Sekhar Mukherjee and Vishwajyoti Ghosh


Curator's note: LUPE

In the early spring of 2007, Pro Helvetia and Phantomville, conceived a project that involved creating a conversation between comic book artists living in Switzerland and India. In the following months a dialogue developed through words and pictures, often in the absence of one another. Five Swiss comics creators were invited to visit Delhi and an equal number of Indian practitioners were sent to Zurich. What followed were a dozen or so magnificently crafted graphic essays that gently threatened to break age-old cultural stereotypes and, in a few cases, even enhanced them.

These graphic novellas portray a strong sense of the times we live in and sometimes offer surprisingly deep insights into the contemporary urban lore of both countries. In many cases, the authors see things with the objectivity of an outsider, revealing aspects or layers of the culture-scape not perceived by the insiders. They also display an uncanny skill in understanding each other's local context and avoiding stating the obvious.

The eight panels here are images picked from the narratives that were developed by these artists. The stories will be compiled in a single volume that will be published by Phantomville early next year.

I would like to acknowledge Chandrika Grover Ralleigh and Anindya Roy who were involved in project conceptualising the project along with me and most of all, Pooja Varma, Sangeeta Rana and Mary Therese Kurkalang who co-ordinated it over nearly two years. Vishal Dar designed this exhibition with his characteristic lightness of touch and sophisticated vision.

Sarnath Banerjee
2008