The fun art

Their art not only seduces the eye with its visual beauty but also inspires the mind with pertinent social issues. But unlike other artists, Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra are entertainers — who bring home the point gift-wrapped in fun artworks.

Nature Morte is organising a new body of works by T&T named Q. The exhibition continues with themes the artists have explored in previous bodies of work, namely the Indian diaspora and its desire to ‘escape’ from India. On view will be a number of paintings in various sizes, but taking inspiration from the venue for the exhibition, the artists will also present a new work in film and construct sets within the spaces to present different “acts” from their story.

Work on display
“Q is the story of one of the many abandoned brides that haunt the state of Punjab, almost a contemporary fairytale fraught with loneliness, desperation and confusion, yet infused with hopeful dreams that are difficult to let go of,” explains Aparajita Jain, director, Nature Morte.

Influenced by contemporary life in all its diversity, Thukral & Tagra boast a rich body of work in painting, sculpture, installation and product design. Their art appeals to a global audience by addressing universal themes of identity, consumerism, migration, and change.

Subtle message
“They are one of my favourite artists and are now widely recognised in the international contemporary art scene,” says Jain adding that their work never boasts of the issue they take up. “There are very subtle hints of the social message, and in a very entertaining manner. I will say that’s the USP of T&T,” she says.

 Thukral & Tagra’s humorous yet provocative works address the harsh realities of Indian society today while mirroring its fantasies and aspirations. The duo combines graphic design with high art references and fuses international popular culture with clichés of the rising Indian Middle Class.

 Playful style
Thukral & Tagra’s universe is a dreamscape based in the everyday world, where man’s heroes and vices collide. Playful paintings in their signature saccharine colours tease our ideas of reality and desire in today’s technological context. Rife with meaningful paradoxes, they pull the issues of our time out from under the carpet and throw them into the open, creating an experience that is both aesthetic and reflective, both tongue-in-cheek and brazenly seductive.

“Most of our works address the issues, cultural shifts, problems and beliefs of people living in India today. We grew up with the general acknowledgement that most Indians dream of leaving India and moving abroad,” say Thukral & Tagra, “albeit a dream that is laced with anxiety and insecurity.”

 The great India escape
“In Q, T&T continue to explore the promises and pitfalls of the great Indian dream to get the f*** out of India. We see it manifested in all types of consumer advertising today, with every new housing colony described as being an “escape to another world of luxury”. It all seems programmed by Hollywood, sort of Elysium meets The Hunger Games, this redemption of the middle-class through a baptism of consumerism,” says Peter Nagy, director Nature Morte. Jain agrees adding, “Their visually luscious works lure the viewer and eventually one sees the deep social undertones in the works — from the Bosedk series, to the Put It On series!”

Rooted in the new, the flashy, and the ever-changing, this aesthetic embodies many of the issues that India is facing today as it becomes more involved with an international discourse in both business and culture.

(The show opens on November 27. The exhibition will remain on view till December 17 from 11 am to 7 pm at Famous Studio, Mahalaxmi)