"Blast India"

Julia Ramey December 3, 2009 4:00AM

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Get a glimpse of contemporary India and its complexities, cultures and significant diaspora at G Gallery this month with "Blast India," a showcase of the works of four Indian and Indian-American artists. Bari Kumar, Om Soorya, Laxman Aelay and Rahul Mitra use a range of styles to debunk stereotypes and display the beauty of their collective homeland. Bari Kumar, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Hyderabad, India, indulges in the abstract with his nude, floating human torsos. In one, Status Quo, we see a male torso. Cut off just under his upraised arms, the figure wears a white cloth tied around his waist. Two snakes form a decorative labyrinth over the scene. The effect is something like a section of a dissected Christ, his unseen arms hanging from the cross implied by the armpits which are straining upward.

Kumar's cohorts bring their own styles to bear on their work. Om Soorya paints colorful, surrealist landscapes; Aelay creates thoughtful portraits of the poor, rural people he grew up among in Andhra Pradesh, and Houstonian Rahul Mitra — an MD Anderson biologist by day — explores cultural and economic disparities with his stark linocuts. There's an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. December 5. Regular viewing hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Through December 24. 301 East 11th St. For information, call 713-869-4770 or visit www.ggalleryhouston.com. Free.
Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 5. Continues through Dec. 24, 2009