Overview

K.G. Subramanyan (1924–2016) was a force of nature, and over a six-decade career in art, craft and design—both as a practitioner and educator—his impact on the cultural sphere has been immense. On the eve of his birth centenary, C&L Design presents Do Hands Have a Chance? — an experimental two-part exhibition, the first of many commemorative events planned across the country in the year to come.

The exhibition includes a selection of Subramanyan’s work with textiles, books and toys, and views his practice through a design-historical lens.
In 1958, the Weavers’ Service Centre opened at Opera House—a five-minute walk from 47-A—where, in its early stages, Subramanyan worked for one and half years. The exhibition at 47-A includes newly discovered material comprising some of his designs done for the Centre.
In 1962, when he returned to teach at the MS University in Baroda, Subramanyan was instrumental in founding the Fine Arts Faculty’s annual fair, for which he designed the first of his toys, a prime example of his desire to collapse boundaries between activities that promoted working with one’s hands. It was also for the fairs that Subramanyan began to experiment with illustrations for books, often aimed at children, a facet of his practice that would reveal itself more forcefully in the decades to come.

In June 2023, an exhibition of the artist’s work at Chatterjee & Lal’s Colaba gallery will display objects drawn from similar sources but, this time, curated from an art-historical perspective.

The purpose: to celebrate the pioneering ideas of Subramanyan around the production, the dissemination and the consumption of art, craft and design in India.

C&L Design, Chatterjee & Lal, Seagull Foundation for the Arts.

Video Walkthroughs by Mort Chatterjee