Curatorial note (English version)
Apne Hisse Me Suraj
The light of acknowledgement
Nikhil Purohit, Curator
Actions – yours and mine shape our identity.
Often given, imposed, but also acquired;
in a democratic, republican state, how, who, and what decides the value of an individual citizen is a gloomy thought. Rajesh Pullarwar a believer in a just state empowered by its constitution contemplates what identity means? He asks whether the sun shines differently upon each one of us? This exhibition is his artistic investigation into a fundament of creation and loss of identity ‘from and to ambiguity’ across the binaries of rich and poor, empowered or enslaved, awakened or ignorant. He finds that identity is not by mere chance but a decision- collective and personal.
Through his lived social interactions in a state, Rajesh uses his creative tools, inventing a visual idea for an inquiry into – thy self and the collective – toward what we are heading to. The exhibition invites you (viewer) in examining the values we live with and live for through the artist’s shared concerns.
Text Two
Amrit Kartar, Artist
Artist creates a metaphor by the visual idioms of a bright sea of billowing clouds and the scattered human silhouettes — ambiguous, with their footing foregone. The darkened forms with charcoal make them seen as well as reduce their existence to anonymity.
An estranged ailing man in distressed times of the COVID lockdown was left to meet his fate at the expense of anonymity, costing his permanent erasure.’ All attempts to provide him aid failed and made Rajesh think about how our republic-democracy failed to keep its promise. Around the same time he made humane attempts to serve food to homebound migrant labourers crossing his neighbourhood as well as the stray animals.
This and many such experiences made him assess the flawed value system of our culture today that stands still like an idol – lacking action and empathy. His inquiry persuaded him to check – Does the value of each citizen, the light in one’s share remain the same?
