In the contemporary art world, the names Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra ring a very loud bell. The Indian artists, simply called Thukral & Tagra or T&T, are known for their phantasmagorical, whimsical, yet highly profound artworks ranging from paintings, sculptures and installations to video performances and even interactive games.
They've exhibited all over the world, with solo shows in countless international arenas and have even had their works acquired by the likes of pop-star Elton John and art collector Frank Cohen. So it was exciting news when, for the first time ever (thanks to Swiss art gallery [dip] contemporary art), their immersive and thought-provoking artworks were finally going to come to Thailand.
Displayed on Central Embassy's ground floor until this Sunday is "Play Pray Pop Out". Conceived especially for Thailand, the exhibition is an extension of the duo's successful 2015 project "Play Pray/Set Point", which engaged with "play" from a cultural, strategic and psychological perspective. The solo show in Thailand, made up of completely new artworks, aims to "explore the idea of transposing Indian mythology into a Thai context".
There are three parts to the exhibition. Hung on the first wall are seven vivid and detailed lithographic prints titled Mythological Inductions. Superimposed on each of the sky-blue backgrounds are silver venn diagrams intertwined with silhouettes and images very familiar to anyone who knows a thing or two about Thai or Indian mythology.
The images are taken from celebrated 19th century Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma, who also happened to open the first printing press in India and illustrated playing cards. Each venn represents a social construct (dilemma, dogma, law, tradition, devotion, loyalty, obedience, intelligence) and is marked by a letter which is associated to a character of Ramayana. Below the frame are head-scratching mathematical formulas of how each character relates to the other and how it represents a specific social construct. Then, on the second wall are two large circular oil paintings -- a dense conglomeration of the same images seen on the lithographic prints. Then, standing on its own to the side is a custom ping-pong table with the same images, chopped up into seven parts with surfaces appearing from every direction.
"So what we did was we took seven chapters [of the Ramayana] and channelled every chapter into one illustration," said Tagra. "It's a very simple arrangement of classifying the seven aspects of Ramayana. We're not trying to question or change the ideas of mythology but rather how it's presented to our generation. For us it's very important to translate this knowledge and pass it onto our children."
"We worked with one mathematician to make the equations and the venn diagrams," said Thukral. "It's allows people to understand the story in just one line."
It sounds confounding, but if one knows the respective story well enough, it all makes sense. One venn diagram, for instance, depicting Hanuman's loyalty to Rama and Sita consists of a large circles engulfing two smaller circles in union.
"It's not very far fetched," said Tagra. "It's a very simple question of how to explain two different sets. Set A can be one entity, Set B can be another, and how they're related and how they're distant, that is what it is all about."
In a similar vein, the ping-pong table is also a more profound commentary on life and social constructs.
"How the ping-pong ball moves: that's your life," Thukral explained. Humans are constantly thrown back and forth, slipping and bouncing in between the positives and negatives of life, but somehow we make it, through the rational conduct of society.
"Play Pray Pop Out"by Thukral & Tagra
Until Sunday
Central Embassy, Ground Floor
10am-8pm
