Going beyond Somnath Hore’s Wounds – Art1st and KNMA’s Wall of Healing at India Art Fair 2022

New Delhi : How can we create a space for reflection, expression and a dynamic engagement with art for the public? Art1st and Kiran Nadar Museum aims to answer this question with an immersive experience at India Art Fair 2022.
The Wall of Healing is an interactive public art project that engages with communities to help them acknowledge and articulate their wounds to enable collective healing. It uses contemporary mediums such as virtual reality, light and colour to make the abstract notions of wounds and healing more tangible while building the narrative of Somnath Hore’s uniquely transformative journey.

Having celebrated Somnath Hore’s birth centenary the previous year, both Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Art1st are excited to showcase a presentation of his art, story and perspective which were deeply influenced by the crises of his time. KNMA’s upcoming retrospective that opens the same weekend as the India Art Fair, features some of his most prominent artworks, prints and sculptures. Art1st’s latest publication, supported by Akar Prakar, Somnath Hore: Wounds is written by Likla, illustrated by Kripa, designed by Shambhavi, and tells the pioneering artist’s story through captivating and inspired illustrations for young readers, bringing them closer to feelings of pain, uncertainty and empathy.

The Wall of Healing experience comprises of many components – Somnath’s Journey of Pain outlines his life story, a virtual reality experience takes you deep into Somnath’s seminal series Wounds, the Healing Booth F3 in the Central Hall at IAF casts an intense light for sensory stimulation, an interactive wall allows you to document your emotions and finally a ballot box gives you the chance to release your Wounds. The entire layered experience creates a dynamic and innovative engagement with art while simultaneously documenting public well being.