bluestocking
Still, deducing the origins—Eastern or Western,
contemporary or antique—of the objects, textiles and
furniture of India Contemporary is an impossible-
to-resist guessing game. But as page after page
of brilliant interiors flash by, it is clear that murky
provenance is a hallmark of contemporary India’s
charm. That Venetian-style mirror? Found in Delhi.
Those lotus-shaped candleholders with their achingly
traditional shape? Made in modern bulk. The polka-
dot pierced wall screen that echoes contemporary
Sweden? Handmade with local concrete. India,
with its multicultural influences, its easy embrace
of eclecticism, merges these competing designs so
seamlessly in its homes that there is no telling what’s
what. Moreover, it doesn’t matter. According to
Wilson, India is unified “as a state of mind.”
And although the other side of India—the mostly
rural, nearly 30 percent who still live below the
poverty line—is absent from India Contemporary’s
story, these vibrant rooms and airy spaces foretell an
optimistic future for the entire country. They shine
with independent style, infinite possibilities and the
promise of a nation stepping gracefully into a new
global hierarchy. India is a country on the brink,
and it has never looked so good n Kat Rosenfield ~
India Contemporary, Henry Wilson, 192 pages, $40/
hardcover, Thames & Hudson
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