Tracing migration, music, and art histories between Lucknow and Calcutta, visual artist and researcher Soumyadeep Roy brought into focus the cultural links shaped by migration between the 2 cities on the concluding day of the 17th Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow festival on Tuesday. The show draws on 8 years of research and uses paintings, mixed-media artworks, and installations to examine themes of movement, memory, music, and shared histories.The exhibition maps how political upheavals and cultural shifts, particularly during the 19th century, led to sustained exchanges between Lucknow and Calcutta. Central to the narrative is the role of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, whose exile to Calcutta following the annexation of Awadh became a turning point in the circulation of art, music, and performance traditions.”Wajid Ali Shah was not just a patron but also an artist. A bit of Lucknow was built in Calcutta, some of it in Delhi,” Roy said.
