And all that goes into the forgotten culture of family meals forms the Don't Hurry, Don't Worry show, which evokes the wisdom behind the age-old maxim, 'the family that eats together stays together'
And all that goes into the forgotten culture of family meals forms the Don't Hurry, Don't Worry show, which evokes the wisdom behind the age-old maxim, 'the family that eats together stays together'
Remember your grandmother's strict instructions whenever you used to leave home to study or play at friend's place? 'No matter what time you come back, the entire family has to eat together', she would invariably say. Inspired by these and many more little slices from everyday life, artist Gautam Kansara comes up with interesting anecdotes related to the concepts of memory and ageing, familial hierarchies, emotional availability, and cultural displacement, giving us a peep into his growing up years. A series of video, photo, and sound-based works bring alive his childhood memories, probably yours, too. 
Goodbye gourmet: I'm Leaving shows the last family meal before the
grandfather leaves the country
An ode to family ties
Recordings of Kansara and his family in spontaneous conversation anchor the works, which, through tight editing, reveal shifting dynamics of influence and support, which a family feels at some point or the other.
Using a combination of long-exposure and motion photography, Gautam uses digital prints and high definition video, along with stationary cameras compressed to include a variety of videos pictures and sound-based art works reminiscent of a microcosm of the wider world, and the problems that plague our everyday life. "A chore as simple as eating together helps a family come closer as I have showcased in my work called Dahl, Baht, Roti, Shak. I have been brought up in a joint family and this is something that I hold very close to my heart. I eat with my family and feel that it really helps binding it together. So I thought that it will be an interesting idea to include the age-old practice of family eating as part of my exhibition," says Gautam.
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Of Grandpa and Ghalib
The works include incidents, which occur in everyone's life and change the functioning of the family one way or the other.
The incidents, namely departure of a family member, death of a relative and family outings, among many others, form the crux of the exhibition.
"The works give the audience a beautiful understanding of the functioning of any family, whether in India or abroad. At the end of the day, a family bond always remains sacrosanct," he says, "and you can look forward to Grandma Grandpa and Ghalib, a video work that takes inspiration from the fact that my grandparents loved Ghalib, though I don't understand a word of Urdu myself. This apart, there is another video compilation called Family Outing to Jaisalmer."u00a0
He is also quick to add, "Health, Wealth, Name, and Fame (Rangpur) are photographs in which I reminisce my journey to Rangpur, the remote village in India where my grandfather was born. Finally, there is the video installation Don't hurry, don't worry, a compilation of family interactions over the past six years." Go picture some parivar-onomics!
Don't Hurry, Don't Worry
On till: April 7
Where: Shrine Empire Gallery, 7, Friends Colony (West)
Timings: 11 am to 7 pm
Website: www.gautamkansara.wordpress.com
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