‘Everywhere is War (and Rumours of War)’ is an exhibition of paintings by 17 contemporary artists depicting how war has affected their psyche and art. Whether the wars are happening in Iraq, Afghanisthan, or the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, or Kashmir or Sri Lanka, society as a whole has become immune to the aftereffects. More than shock and awe, it is a numbness that is frightening.
It is in this context that Bodhi Art presents ‘Everywhere Is War’, where the 17 artists try to raise awareness about the horrors of war. The artists hope their works will inspire the spectator to turn into a warrior of peace.
‘Irresistible Attack’ by Subodh Gupta is a video-recording of mass killing machines that have become an industry for profit, fuelling an international influential lobby.
Jitish Kallat’s water colour drawings ‘Vox humana’ show the effects of bombings, like carpet bombing that turns people to pulp within seconds and flattens the surrounding landscape. His technique aptly suits the subject — the blur leaving no definite boundaries.
Curator Shaheen Merali says, “Living as we are in times of war, it is apparent that we are either surviving the pathos and unilateral triumphalism, while constantly enduring the bombardment of the media or reacting in a detached manner that can be best described
as having fragmented our humanity.” Grim reminders are further seen in Riyas Komu’s ‘Hanging Coffins’, empty and waiting to be filled, as is the sensitive portrayal of Natraj Sharma’s air planes. Drawn after an air show, they sarcastically tell us that this maybe the same industry that “napalmed” Vietnam and Korea.
Baiju Parthan’s ‘Caput Mortem’ virtually shows the writing on the wall. North South East West, war is the best, it seems to say. A tired soldier occupies centrestage and is grappling with his emotions surrounded by human skeletons and icons of wealth and religion. Black on sepia gives the painting a rich and smooth texture. Devnagiri scripts, flags, dragon emblems add to the chiaroscuro.
Reena Saini Kallat attaches crude weaponry to the back of an iron on an ironing board about to launch an attack on the oppressed, shown here as a piece of unsuspecting cloth. Bose Krishnamachari’s library of war books invites the viewer to locate information about this ‘important subject’.
Bharti Kher, Francesco Clemente, Anita Dube all contribute with canvases that ‘speak’ the language of ‘peace’ strangely while graphically depicting the ‘horrors of war’.
‘Everywhere is War (and Rumours of War)’ will be on at Bodhi Art Gallery in Kala Ghoda from August 23 to September 23, 2008.
