MUMBAI: Presenting a visual journey through the history of Bollywood advertising, the Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will unveil Bollywood Cinema Showcards: Indian Film Art from the 1950s to the 1980s from 11 June to 2 October.

The exhibition will be curated by Deepali Dewan for the ICC at the ROM in collaboration with the Hartwick Collection.

Said ROM Director and CEO Janet Carding, “Bollywood Cinema Showcards is a unique opportunity for visitors to see this rare collection of vintage cinematic art, bringing early Bollywood culture and design to life,” “I’m delighted that the ROM is contributing in such as significant way to this year-long celebration of India in Canada and the Bollywood experience in Toronto surrounding the International Indian Film Academy Awards.”

Says Dewan, “This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to explore the evolution of a specific form of advertising associated with the Hindi commercial cinema centered around Mumbai. These show cards combine paint and photography and are a unique aspect of South Asian visual culture, following their equally as remarkable predecessors –Indian Painted Photographs. They were originally produced by local artists but usually thrown out at the end of a film’s run. It is remarkable that this collection has survived at all.”

The exhibition, which coincides with the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Toronto, will feature over 120 works including 77 original showcards from the private collection of Angela Hartwick and a selection of posters, lobby cards and film booklets from the ROM’s permanent collection.

It may be noted that Mississauga-based Picture House organised ‘The Art of Bollywood’, an exhibition of hand painted billboards and posters of Indian Cinema is currently on from 12 May to 10 July.