Icons for the Extinct

Born in 1965, Sachin Karne had his art education from Sir.J.J.School of Arts and M.S.University, Baroda. Before launching himself as a full time artist he had his teaching stints at J.J.School of Art, NID and MSU, Baroda. Sakshi Gallery is all set for presenting his solo exhibition in Sridharani Gallery, New Delhi on 28th March 2007. Shiwani Bhardwaj visits Sachin Karne at his studio and conduct a quick interview. Excerpts:

Having followed your shows one is bound to feel an absence of a common denominator amongst your shows. Yet we see the element of imposition of one image over the other invariably in your works. How do you explain that?

That’s right, I don’t work endlessly. I work with a concept in mind, where I begin with an image in mind. But as one frame [representation] seems limiting the idea behind it I expand it with the help of other images, which eventually become layering. The idea behind layering is to enable the spectator to envision the multiple realities in my work. As an artist I refrain from putting across my ideas directly on canvas. Rather by playing with elements like fusion and fission of images I wait for my own work to surprise me with hidden realities.

So eventually each show of mine becomes individual in its own self, dealing more or less with a common problem. And that is how one differs from others.

Returning to your past works especially the show of Rethinking Thinking, 97’, where you were working with the paradox of site & vision and lost & found objects. We see a number of images [especially the tiger of Tipu sultan] from the art with a capital ‘A’ re-appropriated in your paintings. How and why did that happen?

That actually happened during my stay at Amsterdam and Paris. Where having looked at the ‘museumization’ of ‘East’ by the ‘west’ made me think of images losing its value after having entered the museum space, that too in the west. This shift of meaning grabbed my attention wherein I made Double Portrait with Tipu Sultan’s tiger and 35 Flamingoes confronting Salim Ali.

The idea of the two actually came also from my readings about extinct animals and ecological problems. I was reading through an article by Akhilesh Mittal where he highlighted the fact of tigers becoming extinct both from environment and history. This made me wonder of Tipu Sultan, a tiger of India, who is sparsely given recognition by the people. I find him really helpless and belonging to nowhere. I use such political, historical crises to question notions of nation and nationalism.

The ideas of using historical icons in my paintings also come from my reading of a book called ‘’artist life as myths’’.  There it said if you are a graphic artist; you will earn a few thousand. If you are a painter; then you will earn a few lakhs. So I thought to reproduce five Rembrandt as photocopy pixelled image, trying to work with the paradox of image as icon. [Laughing]

What have been your concerns with the present set of your work where we see repeated images of Buddha, Militant artillery and destruction? 

My present work largely deals with the resentment for the destruction of the Bamian image of Buddha. To me it seems a big event in history, bigger than bombing of New York towers. It was sad to observe that a 2000 years old sculpture of Buddha was shattered into pieces and the whole world chose to keep silent about it. I am taken aback by this loss of innocence by the people. In my paintings I present an image of Buddha as Backdrop to many activities done before him as I personally feel that we need the saint today more than then. In one of it Buddha is shown being dragged by a couple of people. I have deliberately arrested the movement in the middle of nowhere, leaving it onto the onlooker to decide, where to take him?

How do you connect your work with the media images?

I confront media images in my work. I am not talking of the visual aspect of art but more concerned with its repercussion on the people. I feel that one should not be carried away by the images created by media but on the contrary should try to look at it from all angles. That is one of my basic concerns when I work with media images, in particular the political images of Ambedkar or Mahatma Gandhi. I feel that with reproduction of their typical character everywhere on roads and other material, they have lost their significance. Generally people don’t know about many political leaders made to stand at the street junctions. They have been reduced to stone and people forget their worth.

What political stand do you choose to adopt?

As artists we all talk of something… Aesthetics, problem with Art Practices… I choose to literally talk about politics. Such political allegories have always been a prime reason for me to paint. When I painted Padma pani image of Ajanta as the backdrop of my work, I reproduced lotuses all over the canvas at one time showing a political leader holding it. I was bringing out the satire of same lotus changing its ‘attire’.

A similar distress was also portrayed with the nataraja figure in the background and a person performing an acrobatic act with fire. This particular work comes from my experience of riots in the state. Something of which I only remember fire.
I can choose only to be a tolerant human being.

What do you think about popular images, as you don’t use them in your work?

[Laughing] That’s right. I don’t use them, probably that’s a limitation I can break away from. But I can’t just make painting of flowers!

What do think of burning issues of gender, sexuality and minority?

I have shown concern for children, who are literally minor and women in my works concerning Ghodra riots. As I feel they are targeted the most. I have deep concerns for ecology and animals, which I think have become minor in our context. But otherwise I feel we need not talk of gender equality, we have it I guess.