Fashionable Art

On Monday evening,gallery Chemould Prescott Road was transformed into something of a fashion show. Models walked amongst the guests,wearing outfits made of recycled and discarded household material such as paper cups,tyre tubes,kitchen scrubbers,corrugated sheets and surgical masks. A model wore a corset and pants made primarily of surgical masks — a work titled Immunity Cover. Another wore a blouse,skirt and headgear made from car tyre tubes — a work titled Bat-gear. A male model greeted guests in a creation titled Dervish,a skirt and blouse made from silk ties.

The gallery is currently the location for artist Vivan Sundaram’s latest solo show in the city. In the past,the Shimla-born artist has been known for creating politically conscious work. For instance,the Gulf War of 1990-91 prompted him to create a series of engine oil and charcoal on paper. Many years before that,in the ’70s,he created a series of works titled “The Indian Emergency”.

This series then,titled “Gagawaka: Making Strange”,is a departure from the themes of his earlier works. The use of recycled material,however,may be seen as a lead-up from his 2008 mixed media installation,Trash. “Making Strange” was exhibited in Delhi last December and will continue at gallery Chemould Prescott Road till March 21.