Recent sculptural work by Anand Prabhudesai
Anand Prabhudesai has often employed juxtaposition as his visual language. Invariably, he has questioned the self-sufficiency of images; thus, exploring the ruptures in semiotic, semantic and phenomenological meanings accrued to these images. Had he not done such explorations, Anand couldn't have reached the present work.
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| Anand Prabhudesai |
This work can roughly be divided in four parts: the figurines along the partition facing the gallery entrance, the figurines in the gallery, a sculptural installation made of bricks and a pillar-like structure. The figurines are formally identical. Those at the entrance refer to basic needs like food, clothing and safety (of which shelter is a major part but other tangible and intangible aspects like deterrence, education and health cannot be ruled out). Inside, the monotony of these identical figurines is broken by superimposed images that refer broadly to 'Contemporary Art from India'. Almost in the middle of it is a pillar that resembles terracotta- not iron, and has rams that seem to be misplaced. on one side resides the brick wall apparently so real that it can hardly be called a sculpture. These are parts of one work, affirms Anand Prabhudesai.
Even as it addresses dichotomies of authorship and 'appropriation', truth and post-truth, monotony and multitude; the work is not a juxtaposition of dichotomous images, and although the irony is evident, such a juxtaposition is not its source. Instead, the work hypothetically accepts the prevalent notion of aesthetic engagement as a spiritual pursuit, and then- by the multitude of examples- makes it so obscure that the notion loses its credibility. The individual works quoted by Anand are not only many, but also incongruent to make way for a cohesive idea of Art. As an artist, Anand tends to believe that a cerebral response to reality is necessary for making art. He also knows that reality itself might be difficult to grasp, and that artists often construe reality to suit their artistic persona. This understanding brings him to the problem: whether to limit oneself to a chosen persona, and if yes, why. The apparent answers might be found in the 'art market' as a system. But Anand leaves it there so as to look at other aspects of contemporaneity.
While the pitfalls in understanding what is contemporary art- especially in the Indian context- can easily be seen at the Contemporary Art Auctions that sometimes sport works by Thota Vaikuntam, Laxma Goud and Prabhakar Kolte alongside Bharti kher; Anand only underlines it. The viewers may or may not choose to interpret this. What he would like to be interpreted by the viewer is the stark presence of the brick wall along with the ram motifs somewhere in (not atop) the pillar. A ram embodies the impulsive and headstrong psyche rather than pre-determined strategy. So a ram obviously embodies the antithesis to the qualities found in many artists of repute today. Yet, if the interpretations go towards the political overtones, it is the viewer who is finding a way not to think of art for art's sake.
At this point, this work becomes a game of meaning-making with anyone who views it as a participant. The title of this show, is derived from the name of a level in a computer game called 'Safe Zone' – which makes the players as unsafe as in every other computer game, but which also has an AI character called Mara. 'The Illusion Protocol' specifically refers to twisting narratives, a situation that can even otherwise be experienced in the world we live in- where propaganda movies can easily increase toxicity levels of their screenplays in the name of 'artistic liberty', thereby relegating all art to post-truth scenarios. Mara, as in Buddhist understanding of the world, refers to the devil that only gives us delusion, greed and hate. In other words, it turns lions and rabbits into rams and lands us into an ever-incomprehensible reality.
Perhaps a way out of the illusive meanings is to introspect, as the figurines would suggest.
Abhijeet Tamhane
Mumbai, March- 2026.
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