For many Westerners, India continues to be a land of tigers, princes, snake charmers and spirituality. Often these cliched images also dominate the imagination of artists from abroad. But four American artists - Carrie Fonder, Lily Stockman, Rebecca Layton and Jenny Mullins - have tried to break free.
In an exhibition titled Super/Power, their visual narratives are filled with a different set of images: autorickshaws, godowns, mobile phone towers and electrical transformers. The art works attempt to foster a dialogue between the mythologies of the old and vibrant India with New India. Curator Georgina Maddox says "each artist has employed multiple mediums to engage with the subject of India." Through paintings, sculptures, drawings and installations - they express themselves in an exhibition on view from April 1-16 at Threshold Art Gallery.
Detroit-based Fonder's sculptures deal with issues of gender and the way culture influences gender identity. Her work uses the ubiquitous autorickshaw that she purchased in October 2010 to illustrate her responses to the hijra (eunuch) community in India. "I was inspired by the beauty and boldness of the hijras that I encountered in my daily life in Mumbai as well as the rickshaws. Hijras got me thinking about the hardships they face not only as hijras but also as women," says Fonder.
Her creation titled Trans-co takes a multi-cultural look at gender while paying homage to hijras and autorickshaws. "It's a play on American car culture; at the same time it nods reverentially to the world of amazing rickshaw customisations visible throughout India," says Fonder who's fascinated by the dualities of India. Despite stereotypical and historical trappings, India is also contemporary and unique, she says.
LA based Stockman, who grew up on a farm in central New Jersey, was always attracted to the collision of the natural and built environment: how man shapes his surroundings. Last year she moved to India and was fascinated to see the same thing happening here.
In an exhibition titled Super/Power, their visual narratives are filled with a different set of images: autorickshaws, godowns, mobile phone towers and electrical transformers. The art works attempt to foster a dialogue between the mythologies of the old and vibrant India with New India. Curator Georgina Maddox says "each artist has employed multiple mediums to engage with the subject of India." Through paintings, sculptures, drawings and installations - they express themselves in an exhibition on view from April 1-16 at Threshold Art Gallery.
Detroit-based Fonder's sculptures deal with issues of gender and the way culture influences gender identity. Her work uses the ubiquitous autorickshaw that she purchased in October 2010 to illustrate her responses to the hijra (eunuch) community in India. "I was inspired by the beauty and boldness of the hijras that I encountered in my daily life in Mumbai as well as the rickshaws. Hijras got me thinking about the hardships they face not only as hijras but also as women," says Fonder.
Her creation titled Trans-co takes a multi-cultural look at gender while paying homage to hijras and autorickshaws. "It's a play on American car culture; at the same time it nods reverentially to the world of amazing rickshaw customisations visible throughout India," says Fonder who's fascinated by the dualities of India. Despite stereotypical and historical trappings, India is also contemporary and unique, she says.
LA based Stockman, who grew up on a farm in central New Jersey, was always attracted to the collision of the natural and built environment: how man shapes his surroundings. Last year she moved to India and was fascinated to see the same thing happening here.
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