Journalism of Courage
Mumbai's iconic Tao Art Gallery is all set with its first physical show amid pandemic with artist Khanjan Dalal’s recent body of works that come with a twist of wry humour. (Source: PR Handout)
For this exhibition that starts July 8, 2021 and is on till August 8, 2021, Khanjan adopts the Foucauldian format of the ‘discourse’ to thread together and bring into view his varying concerns expressed through his practice. The physical show that can be visited with appointment only is titled 'Discourse'. Discourse is, organisers say, a way of organising knowledge that structures the constitution of social and progressively global relations through its collective understanding. (Source: PR Handout)
In the first section of works, Khanjan’s discourses take the format of speech bubbles in different shapes and formats, from punctuation marks to floral formats. He freely borrows from popular culture and the millennium format of chat boxes to the point where the speech-bubbles actually form a third entity like hybrid creatures. Besides giving rise to these mystical creatures Khanjan also talks about the fragility of conversations. (Source: PR Handout)
The second section is titled the Armour series. The muscular male busts are intended to evoke and draw upon the depiction of masculinity. For much of history, muscles have been seen as vulgar, meaty indicators of labor and in some instances virility. Khanjan adds another layer of humour and irony to his sculptural work for they are placed a pedestal that has a cow bell hidden under the torso, which could be rung by pulling the thread which the viewer can engage with. Underneath this playful veneer is a serious critique of various manifestations of masculinity. (Source: PR Handout)
The third segment of the exhibition looks at the Samurai culture built around the ethos of heroism, sacrifice, revenge and a glorification of violence that is strangely based in love: The love for one's country or one's clan, the love for the master or teacher and the love for one's beloved. It talks about this idea of Bushido or the way of the warrior, whose central tenets are honour and freedom from fear of death. (Source: PR Handout)
His work probes and examines the folly behind heroism, the gloom around the glory, and questions the grandstanding of patriarchal machismo that focuses on the idea of revenge and violence through Chushingura also known as 47 ronin or the Ako incident, a 15th century Japanese Fable. (Source: PR Handout)
Catharsis is an important part of his work; it enables “purification” or "cleansing" of certain emotions, primarily fear and dishonor, from the subconscious mind. In the realm of art, it takes on a physical expression. (Source: PR Handout)
Title: Irradiation, Medium: stoneware and porcelain clay fired at cone 6 , Size: 60” x 48” x 1.5 ”(approx), Year: 2021. (Source: PR Handout)
These works are built through basic gestural hand movements and tools like cutting, slicing, punching, digging and scooping by using bare hands and modeling tools into single solid elongated cubes of clay. (Source: PR Handout)
Together, these three sections underline Khanjan’s concerns and creates a landscape through which we may navigate an alternative masculinity, not just in the Indian context but through a pan Asian lens that examines the follies of mankind in the times of tribulation and trial that we are currently living through.(Source: PR Handout)
