The KCC Conservation Lab showcased their latest achievements in art conservation, restoration, and museum management. The restoration of a waterlogged canvas painting and the intact patachitra scroll collected from a senior patua were especially highlighted as a celebration of the diversity in our artistic heritage and the contrasting interpretation of their age and beauty. 

A window to the process of Bengal scroll-making, The Magic of Making: Journey of Bengal Patachitra was on display. The exhibit covered the social and artistic ambit of patachitras providing information on the history, inspiration, and materials and techniques used, with an overview of how they age with time. 

Theme: ‘The Future of Museums: Recovered & Reimagined’ – a unique exhibition conceived in collaboration with Paschimbanga Sangrahalaya Samiti. 

During the global pandemic, the world of ‘museums’ went through a sea of changes, including the shift from physical exhibitions to online displays. However, as the world was slowly opening at the time, it was time to go back to embrace and celebrate the quintessential, physical museum experience. To ensure a sustainable and viable future for museums, especially for smaller yet significant ones, we must reaffirm the museum culture for preserving our past and paving the path to the future. This exhibition presented these notions at that apposite hour with a diverse and rich collection from different museums.  

An illustrated panel discussion that delved deeper into the conceptual significance, material use, and the challenges of preserving K. G. Subramanyan’s murals, organized by Emami Art in collaboration with KCC Conservation Lab as part of ONE HUNDRED YEARS AND COUNTING: RE-SCRIPTING K G SUBRAMANYAN, a research-based retrospective scale exhibition celebrating the birth centenary of the artist. 

The panel featured Subramanyan’s apprentices and associates- renowned art historian, pedagogues and visual artists- Prof. R Siva Kumar, Prof. Dilip Mitra and Shri Amit Danda, moderated by Shreyan Banerjee, senior art conservator- restorer at KCC Conservation Lab.  

Prof. Siva Kumar initiated the session with a prefatory note on Subramanyan’s murals focusing on the early phase of his work, followed by Prof. Mitra and Amit Danda’s photographic documentation of Subramanyan’s work and reminiscing their experience of working with him on the Black-and-White (Textile department) and ceramic tile (Mastermoshai’s Studio) murals. These images revealed various stages of mural-making processes showcasing KGS’s meticulous material handling and quintessentially effortless artistic methods. Currently, the environmental factors, posing a significant challenge to the physical health of the murals, have become a major concern. This session also highlighted whether Subramanyan anticipated the impermanence of his works and discussed contemporary perspectives, feasible preventive measures and the challenges to attempt them.