No one enemy

Here's a how which attempts to identify foes

Gone are the days when the world was black and white. Stark. Divided into the good and the bad. It's a more complex world, a more complex 'us' now. A world where heroes are not just heroes and villains are not just villains. Their roles often merge with one another. And they are eulogised by all and sundry.


(Clockwise from above) A work by Radhika Khimji; My Man and My
Foot by Mithu Sen
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We live in a world where gangsters are idolised, the general public doesn't care two hoots about the mounting corruption, gangster movies become runaway hits.

Keeping such a scenario in mind comes an exhibition where artists attempt to identify enemies. So we have six artistsu00a0 ufffd Gordon Cheung, Radhika Khimji, Sunil Padwal, Prasad Raghavan, Iona Rozeal Brown and Mithu Sen ufffd who bring on the canvas their perceptions on the Public Enemy Number 1.

"The artists have employed their skills to highlight through the visual arts the role of violence and the culture of violence that has bred gangsters and gangster attitude," says curator Shaheen Merali.

Jaani dushman
So we have Mithu Sen who has identified as her enemies the very people who she proclaims to be her heroes. People who surround her studio table where she works. "They become enemies when I try to do my work and their images distract me. Otherwise they are my heroes," says Sen.

The artist is known for her mixed media works that play on sexuality, gender and societal roles, often fusing human faces and figures with other living organisms including animals and plants. Here, one of the works shows Einstein, the famous scientist,u00a0 with a long tongue sticking out and surrounded by frogs. Then there is a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger along with another male bodybuilder, with the face of a woman. Arnie is in love as the rose in his hand reflects.

Violence is the name of the game
David Cronenberg's A History of Violence is the inspiration behind Prasad Raghavan's works. One work, Angels with Dirty Faces, showcases various classifieds hawking massage parlours. Yet another, Bullets or Ballots, shows the hierarchical system of our democracy. Then there is Once Upon a Time in America, where the Statue of Liberty has the face of a Red Indian, the original inhabitants of America.

Violence is the underlying theme in the works of other artists too. Radhika Khimji's series of collages display terror at its worst. Gordon Cheung's Disaster of Terror series has images showing the Abu Ghraib abuse in Iraq. Go see it for yourself.

At Exhibit 320, F-320, Lado Sarai Timings 11 am to 7 pm
On till January 23 ring 46130637