On Jan. 1, 1989, playwright, actor and political activist Safdar Hashmi was performing a street play in Delhi when he was beaten to death by political thugs.
Hashmi’s politically charged theater made him the target of deadly violence, but it also inspired a collective of Delhi-based artists, writers, poets, musicians, actors and activists to join together.
These artists called themselves Sahmat, and for more than 20 years since Hashmi’s murder, Sahmat has functioned to create and present works of art promoting artistic freedom in the spirit of Hashmi’s secular and egalitarian ideals.
Beginning with an opening reception today, the Ackland Art Museum will showcase “The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India Since 1989” in the gallery until Jan. 5.
“The murder of Hashmi was a catalyst for bringing artists together to resist intolerance in a movement of creative expression,” said Emily Bowles, director of communications at the Ackland.
Along with the main exhibit, the museum will present a wide variety of public programs for all ages to support the richness of the art.
“The programs will be colorful, vibrant and alive — just like the show,” Bowles said.
This interdisciplinary Indian art exhibit features more than 60 different artists from the collective and will present a wide range of art, such as active performances, a rickshaw with political messages and other art forms, Bowles said.
Peter Nisbet, the museum’s chief curator, said the art, as well as documentation and photographs showing the group’s inner workings, presents the work of individual artists in a well-formed collective.
