Chewing the cud

Arunkumar’s Feed playfully addresses serious issues, says Amrita Gupta-Singh.

Social definitions in contemporary society revolve around consumption, its patterns and effects. The privileged often indulge in conspicuous consumption; the underprivileged dream. This leads to tremendous waste and irreparable class disparities. Arunkumar HG, an artist based in Delhi, deals with such concerns regarding production and consumption in his new exhibition Feed, currently showing at the Sakshi Gallery. Trained as a sculptor at the MS University of Baroda, he works in various disciplines, including photography and toy design, which impacts his art. This eclectic approach allows Kumar to articulate his ideas through remarkable, layered meanings.

The concept of Feed was developed at a World Social Forum workshop titled ‘World@Hunger’, in Brazil in 2005. The artist explores the connections between hunger and the act of feeding in the socio-economic scenario, through metaphors using workers and animals trapped in a capitalist society, and the endless flow of information through the media. A recurrent symbol is the bull—in its agrarian associations, or feeding on television, or as Nandi, either seated on, or feeding on urban waste. Another profound work is that of a dining table installation with images of workers hands and farmers tilling their lands, which points to the labour and sources of food we consume. Other works explore how science and technology often transform natural mechanisms—such as the poultry industry—to constantly feed our consumerist society.

Arunkumar brings in neo-pop sensibilities by using readymade objects such as toys, plastic, ceramics, cowdung, hay and TV monitors, and also displays a high degree of skill in his sculpted images. In the interplay of playful/absurd imagery and serious concerns, Kumar’s work may appear dense to the common viewer, but layered associations become clear through conversations with the artist. If galleries could organise interactive discussions with artists, it would enrich the viewers, underscoring the socially transformative role of art. 

Feed, Arunkumar HG, Sakshi Gallery, ongoing till Oct 6.