Light on the 7th art! The exhibition traces a century of the history of Indian cinema, from its mythological and artistic sources to the cult of its actors and actresses, the new gods of the screen.
With more than 1,500 films a year, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world. From the first silent films of the 1920s, inspired by Hindu stories, to contemporary blockbusters by their superstars, Indian cinemas are inspiring unprecedented popular enthusiasm. To retrace this century of history, the exhibition brings together artworks, historical objects and projections on a large screen through an immersive scenography. The journey is initially reminiscent of the connection between the first cinema and popular performing arts. In the manner of shadow theater performances, magic lanterns and traveling storytellers, the first films were projected in traveling theaters and mythological stories thousands of years old were re-adapted. In the context of nation-building and Indian independence, the gods and great monarchs inspired the first blockbusters that could unite large audiences across the regional and linguistic boundaries of the subcontinent. The exhibition ends with the actors and the phenomenon of the Indian 'star system'. Actors and actresses are icons who today preserve all the magic of early cinema.
September 26, 2023 to January 14, 2024
