Meet our guests
Dr. Renate Goldmann

Dr. Renate Goldmann has curated the Ifa-exhibition "Come in" at Emami Chisel Art Galery. An exhibition, which investigates the connection between fine art and applied design in twenty-five artistic positions by means of individual objects, sculptures, installations and videos. The interior spaces chosen by many of the contributing artists form links between aspects of contemporary history and their own biography and critical aesthetics

My first impression of India…
My first impression of India was a very multifaceted in dealing with a country with religious culture, colonial legacy and a forward-facing society. The interest in modern and contemporary art, as demonstrated by the exhibition “Come-in” at the Emami Chisel Art Gallery, is quite big in the exciting city of Kolkata. One of the artists in the exhibition, Gregor Schneider, already a realized a project in the public space in 2011, which garnered enormous reception from the people and in the media. 

Things in Kolkata that remind me of my home town Cologne…
Many of the preparations for Durga Puja remind me of my home city of Cologne at the highpoint of the year here, Carnival on the Rhine, the festive season around Christian Lent and Easter. My visit to Kumartuli, and seeing the bamboo structures popping up everywhere, drawing thousands of visitors to the streets and public squares for communal rejoicing, was further proof for how open and vibrant the city of Kolkata is. 

A memory of India that will stay…
My enduring impressions of Kolkata will be my visit to the Kalighat Temple, with its site-specific rituals and visiting the Marble Palace with its paintings, artistic treasures and its collection of birds. The Indian Museum from 1814 and the Victoria Memorial are overpowering in their architectonic dimensions. The media is currently discussing the canonization of Mother Teresa, which became notable during my visit to Mother House and influenced my lively impression of Kolkata.