Bread, Circuses and I | 2019
Nature Morte presents “Bread, Circuses, and I”, a solo exhibition of new works takes reference from the recent uprisings by the farming community questioning their rights, existence and daily survival in today’s world. It also tries to comprehend the intricate details of the lives, trials, and tribulations of the agricultural community and illustrates this precarious aspect of the farmer’s fate: a life which is suspended in limbo.
The exhibition title “Bread, Circuses and I” attempts a ‘self-absorption’ of one’s status in the midst of a severe social crisis. By making the viewer confront these distress equations, the artists continue their pursuit in social communication and attempt to address the gaps between the urban and rural ways of living. As natives of Punjab, Thukral & Tagra delve into their own personal histories and memories to address the socio-cultural changes most visible in their home state.
Shifting family values, a desire for ‘escape’ via migration, and changing middle-class aspirations have been recurring motifs in their work. The central installation in this exhibition will invite the viewers to act as protagonists, to acknowledge themselves at a juncture of socio-political and cultural emergencies. The metaphor of the wrestler is employed to examine the ongoing struggle of the farmers, fighting the battle of survival against invisible policies and issues.
This exhibition is a continuation and synthesis of works and ideas from two exhibitions held previously in 2019: “Farmer is a Wrestler” at the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi in Chandigarh, India and “Bread, Circuses and TBD” at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the United Kingdom.
1.
Title: Distress Mathematics (Zero)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 120 x 192 inches
Year: 2019
2.
Title: Surjeet Singh
Surjeet Singh, age 50 has been reporting suicides for 130 villages for the Sangrur district of Punjab. Over the span of 10 years, he has met around 2000 families of the deceased farmers on the day of their deaths to fill out the application for their demise.
Duration: 27 mins
Year: 2019
3.
Title: Aftermath – Swaminathan Commission Report – Serving and Saving Farming, Reports 1,2,3,4,5 + articles + reports on agrarian crisis.
Medium: Inkjet print on paper with pesticide spray machine and wooden boards – 3-sec spray after every 30 mins
Size: 72 x 120 x 72 inches
Year: 2019
4.
Title: Drawings – Farmer is a Wrestler – 6
Medium: Ink on Archival paper
Size: 7×11.5 inches
Year: 2019
5.
Title: Distress Mathematics (Infinite)
Medium: Oil on canvas, unstretched
Size: 72 x 48 x 2 inches
Year: 2019
6.
Title: Distress Mathematics (Delta)
Medium: Oil on canvas, unstretched
Size: 72 x 48 x 2 inches
Year: 2019
7.
Title: A Dozen – Distress Symbols
Medium: Cast Iron
Size: 12 x (5 x 6 x 4 inches), 6kg each kept on wooden board 120 x 24 x 2 inches
Year: 2019
8.
Title: Wrestling mat
Medium: Inkjet print on Fabric Size: 22 feet
Year: 2019
9.
Title: 6 Compositions – wrestler
Medium: Inkjet prints on Archival Paper
Size: 14 x 10 inches
Year: 2019
10.
Title: 5 Compositions – Farmer
Medium: Inkjet prints on Archival Paper
Size: 14 x 10 inches
Year: 2019
11.
Title: Verbal Kabaddi
Medium: Game, 7 offset printed card set
Size: 2.5 x 3.5 inches
Year: 2019
12. Title: Kisan Mukti March
A source of primary research into farmer’s distress across the nation. The documentation delves into the trials and tribulations faced by farmers today. On the 28th and 29th of November 2018 over one lakh farmers had marched into the capital to protest against the agrarian crisis.
Duration: 23 mins, Documentary
Year: 2019
13.
Title: Quotidian 1
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 84 x 48 x 2.5 inches
Year: 2019
Further Reading List: http://www.thukralandtagra.com/new/reference-list/
Leaflet: http://www.thukralandtagra.com/docs/Bread_Circuses_and_I.pdf