A local photographer clicking a picture of his decked up wife, a man taking a leak at midnight, and other cliches that cannot help but make you laugh, are all a part of this exhibition.
Acclaimed American artist Waswo X Waswo, in collaboration with Udaipur based artist Rajesh Soni and miniaturist R Vijay, are showcasing Confessions Of An Evil Orientalist at Gallery Escape. The collection navigates between personal revelation and inspired fantasy.
There is a list of 101 Confessions typed on stamp paper and signed by the artist with the collaborators as his witnesses.
The confessions — ‘I have shared chai in a village and imagined myself adventurous’, ‘I have led you to believe the language I that speak is more powerful than your own’, ‘I have begun to double-check the locks’, ‘I have drunk gin upon a high terrace’, ‘thinking the view across the Muslim ghetto charming’, ‘I have paid people to pose for my camera’, ‘I have not paid people to pose for my camera’ — are a list of stereotypes that foreigners make when they visit India.
Stereotypes are what the show is about.
{{/usCountry}}Stereotypes are what the show is about.
{{/usCountry}}“The Orientalist is always accused of making stereotypes. But, the driving point is that in this day and age, we have made a stereotype of the Orientalist.”
A Hanuman motif runs throughout the exhibition, examining male ego as it manifests itself in aggression, militarism and dominance. Along with the catalogue, there is also a comic book titled The Evil Orientalist.
It presents situations that a foreigner, the Evil Orientalist, finds himself in and how he reacts, and the way he is perceived.
“I started using some images as profile pictures on Facebook and then I got the idea of a comic book. I wrote the English parts and my collaborators came up with the Hindi ones. It was to make orientalism humourous.”
Catch it live
When: Till January 15
Where: Gallery Espace, 16 Community Centre, New Friends Colony
Timings: 11 am - 7 pm
Nearest Metro Station: Okhla on the Violet Line