A decade of ‘Emerging Talent’ at VM Gallery

Text: Nafisa Rizvi

Photography: Courtesy VM Gallery

The Emerging Talent show at VM Gallery hit its decade mark this year and serves as a testament to the resourcefulness and persistence of gallery curator Riffat Alvi. She has held the show year after year committed to the belief that this first exposure to a wider audience in a formal gallery gives the newbie artists an impetus that they will benefit from for years to come. Some artists take off, some don’t but this, Alvi believes, is their ‘coming out’-- away from the sheltered enclave of their university or school, a view of the real world.

The Emerging Talent is a revealing show for many reasons. It discloses the ethos and values of the art school the students have attended and demonstrates the shades of difference in teaching methods and the level of scholarship provided to the students. It shows us the inclination of the faculty to weigh in emphases towards skill or concept, a defining factor in art teaching and final output. It indicates the extent of the exposure to genres and histories which invariably reflects in the student’s final thesis work. It also alludes to the ability and motivation of the instructors to rein in plagiarism, a very tangible fear in thesis works.