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Holding a mirror to media, politics and society
It takes some gumption to use crow as a symbolic metaphor to depict the media and human interactions.
It takes some gumption to use crow as a symbolic metaphor to depict the media and human interactions. Even the most liberal art collector would think twice before picking up paintings that have crows as the prominent feature, but for the Mangalore born Kandan G, sale of paintings is least on his mind. The creative process and the freedom to express takes precedence over everything else.
While the media plays a crucial role in society, Kandan’s works ask several questions on the freedom of expression. At many levels, the works; a few mixed media on wood and acrylic on canvas build a story of the media. A man of few words and more at ease in Kannada, he tried explaining the controlled manner in which the media functions. ‘From the outside everything looks open but in practise the medis is to a large extent controlled,” says he.
The crow and paper planes find a prominent place in the paintings. The crow depicts the media, it communicates between the abstract and real. The current state of media is displayed here, the paper rocket depicts the speed at which the information and news is disseminated. He however seems to say that a paper plane is not as powerful to change society. Kandan says, “All issues are politicised. There is hardly any room for free thinking and independence of thought. In one striking painting, paper planes seem to jet across over communication cables to show how news spreads fast. In another the crow looks over the horizon with no one to bother it seems to give its verdict.
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The 22 works done on a variety of media like acrylic on canvas, mixed media on wooden board are riveting to say the least. It makes one think twice about the prsent state of communication, media, politics and society. The crow that is despised is however free from external control. Perched on cables, towers and traversing the sky, it gives its verdict and acts as a symbolic metaphor and a medium between the abstract and real.
The show titled ‘ The Crows Verdict’ was opened to public at the Icon Art Gallery on Saturday and would go on till November 8.
