News: Vikram Arora's Pilgrimage
Thursday, March 05, 2009This is a most interesting concept for an exhibition. A Pilgrimage. But being in a country away from home is where this really started, and as Vikram Arora puts it, "We (Indians) are used to a picture or corner of worship, with pictures of Saraswati & Krishna, or an altar with Christ. And a home is not a home without a woman who lays the table, just her presence actually, this was something I missed in my stint in France". Where Vikram stayed in France both these factors were absent & this entire body of work came from a need to fill that gap.
The exhibition is a series of videos that show Vikram 1st cleansing , and then invoking the spirits in a holy triangle and then finally going on a barefooted pilgrimage to the chapel of Tremalo. The chapel of Tremalo is special to Vikram because is was the place "where I painted the Christ in blue, the color of my lord Krishna,in 2001"
“A pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim"
The exhibition is a series of videos that show Vikram 1st cleansing , and then invoking the spirits in a holy triangle and then finally going on a barefooted pilgrimage to the chapel of Tremalo. The chapel of Tremalo is special to Vikram because is was the place "where I painted the Christ in blue, the color of my lord Krishna,in 2001"
“A pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim"
'Pilgrimage' an exhibition of video art, photography, and paintings
Video 1 - Cleansing
This video is about a metaphoric expression of cleansing the space. It begins with washing of clothes then dipping them in saffron color, and putting them to dry in the backyard.Thus inviting a spiritual presence with the saffron color which is synonyms to the deities and gods of the east.
Video 2- The Holy Triangle
Lying in the divine Himalayas of Tehri Garhwal district, three 'Siddha Peeths' can be located well on top of three different mountains, dedicated to 'Sati the wife of lord 'Shiva'. The holy triangle of the temples is linked with a famous tale when Sati, daughter of Daksha Prajapati, immolated herself at the sacrificial spot lord Shiva took the dead body of his wife and started walking towards the Himalayas. The places where the parts of her dead body fell are known as Kunjapuri, Surkanda Devi and Chandrabadni and are thus worshipped as Siddha Peeths. The holy triangle is recreated in the purified backyard, depicting the presence of the goddess and the holy temples with the saffron threads
Video 3 -Pilgrimage
“A pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim"
I love this photograph, the mood, the old church and the unlikely presence of a saffron robed man (Vikram) but what really makes the picture for me is the silent communion between him & the Christ.
What is undeniable in all of Vikram's work is his fascination and active engagement with the spiritual . It takes a rare kind of courage to do that.
What I really take back from my conversation with Vikram is this, "If you really believe in Siddhivinayak, you won't just land up, you will walk to the temple", bringing to my mind hundreds of Bombayites walking barefoot in the wee hours of Monday morning, so they may get a good 'darshan' the next day.
The exhibition is on at Alliance Francaise De Bombay, Theosophy Hall 40, New Marine Lines, Mumbai-20. And because of the great response the it has received, it has been extended for another week. If you are in Bombay, do put it on your 'to-do' list.
Video 1 - CleansingThis video is about a metaphoric expression of cleansing the space. It begins with washing of clothes then dipping them in saffron color, and putting them to dry in the backyard.Thus inviting a spiritual presence with the saffron color which is synonyms to the deities and gods of the east.
Video 2- The Holy Triangle
Lying in the divine Himalayas of Tehri Garhwal district, three 'Siddha Peeths' can be located well on top of three different mountains, dedicated to 'Sati the wife of lord 'Shiva'. The holy triangle of the temples is linked with a famous tale when Sati, daughter of Daksha Prajapati, immolated herself at the sacrificial spot lord Shiva took the dead body of his wife and started walking towards the Himalayas. The places where the parts of her dead body fell are known as Kunjapuri, Surkanda Devi and Chandrabadni and are thus worshipped as Siddha Peeths. The holy triangle is recreated in the purified backyard, depicting the presence of the goddess and the holy temples with the saffron threads
Video 3 -Pilgrimage
“A pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim"
I love this photograph, the mood, the old church and the unlikely presence of a saffron robed man (Vikram) but what really makes the picture for me is the silent communion between him & the Christ.
What is undeniable in all of Vikram's work is his fascination and active engagement with the spiritual . It takes a rare kind of courage to do that.
What I really take back from my conversation with Vikram is this, "If you really believe in Siddhivinayak, you won't just land up, you will walk to the temple", bringing to my mind hundreds of Bombayites walking barefoot in the wee hours of Monday morning, so they may get a good 'darshan' the next day. The exhibition is on at Alliance Francaise De Bombay, Theosophy Hall 40, New Marine Lines, Mumbai-20. And because of the great response the it has received, it has been extended for another week. If you are in Bombay, do put it on your 'to-do' list.
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