The Art of Pregress and Strife; Contemporary Artists Wrestle with Modern India

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Byline: Vibhuti Patel

Outsiders may know India as the land of outsourcing and curry, yoga and Bollywood films. But a startling insider's view is currently being revealed in "Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India," a two-part exhibit that opened recently at New York's Asia Society and the Queens Museum of Art (through June 5, then on to Mexico and, finally, to India). On display are 80 provocative paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations and videos by 38 artists--some established, others emerging--who have witnessed unprecedented political, social and economic upheaval in their homeland in the past decade.

They have a lot of ground to cover. During the 1990s religious …