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‘Med’ to order
A doctor fighting the ‘ghost of death’ that’s trying to get hold of a young lady, was the cynosure of all eyes at the Visual Arts Gallery recently.
A doctor fighting the ‘ghost of death’ that’s trying to get hold of a young lady, was the cynosure of all eyes at the Visual Arts Gallery recently. Shubhadarshini Singh, a medical journalist-turned-artist, who has produced shows such as Kar Bhala Soch Bhala on Doordarshan, shared her relationship with the medical world through an exhibition titled Ars longa vita brevis.
“I feel medical science has not received its due in Indian art. Nobody knows what Surshuta or Jivaka looked like or what patients really felt about their doctors,” said Singh. Taking a cue from famous artist Van Gogh and made portraits of her own cardiologist and psychiatrist. A wall at the venue was also dedicated to surgeons painted as God, rockstar and a future doctor working with robots!
The exhibition that included an artistic description of viruses such as Flu, smallpox, HIV and SARS, “expresses your inner fears and helps you overcome them”, said Singh. Besides physical ailments, Singh’s works also focus on psychological problems like fear, anxiety and grief. The paintings are far from grim as the artist’s used bright hues that label the disease well.
Lensman Sunando Mazumdar’s photographs contributed to the theme. A sculpture by artist Ashish Bose, showing an exaggerated tongue in fibre glass, also added a lot to the show.
