The Human Balance, Askew: Article By Sushma Sabnis

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Be they biological ecosystems or socio-political, cultural ones, hierarchies rule the roost but also present as many advantages as disadvantages. When one visits the numerous episodes of dichotomy and conflict that life’s tableau offer, one discovers aspects of the self in relation to their surroundings and this revelation impacts the very sensibility of the person. Artist Laxman Ahire creates his art vocabulary by revisiting astute observations and numerous experiences that constitute his life. Ahire poses uncomfortable questions through his works aimed to better his understanding of himself and others as social, cultural, political, religious, and individual entities. 

Having graduated in Drawing and Painting, from Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Ahire has been consistently addressing the issues pertaining to hierarchical structures in society; more importantly, the imbalance between two or more communities though they belong to the same human family. Caste systems have been one of the subject matters which surface in his earlier works; however, they have been a point of departure for a new line of questioning of the concept of discrimination in his recent works.

In his current suite of works, Ahire tries to depict the conflict within the common man, the daily wage workers, domestic help, auto-rickshaw / taxi drivers, eking out a living for themselves. The empathetic view of the artist is seen in the works titled, ‘I am Human – II’. He portrays himself in digitally transformed passport-sized photographs into people of different communities identifiable by their attires, headdresses, and gender with the flag of the country as a backdrop.

In the work, ‘Say No to War’, he takes pictures of himself in military outfits of different countries, posing before their respective flags, questioning the purpose of war itself. In today’s scenario across the world, one would find skirmishes happening beyond Lines of Control, bomb blasts in civilian and religious territories live, and property destroyed. Ahire believes that war is futile and only fuels the monetary ambitions of the arms and ammunition industry and systems backing it in every country.

In another work from the, ‘I am Human’ series, Ahire tries to portray numerous torsos of human beings branded with a symbol/emblem instead of ahead. This work is precise in its intent, as the symbols are labels of power. Some of the ‘heads’ are political emblems, flags of countries, symbols of religious outfits, cultural symbols, medical symbols, consumer brands, etc.  The work opens up many interpretations leaving the viewer wondering what they could be symbolizing in society.

Revisiting his earlier works of fragmented human bodies and minds, Ahire isolates the human brain as the control center – the government of the body, ordering the limbs and organs to execute functions. This is seen in the works titled, ‘Freedom-1’ and ‘Ghulamgiri – I’ where he illustrates the, ‘you are what you think’ adage by giving limbs/wings to the brain making it a part of a whole simultaneously. In ‘Ghulamgiri – I’ Ahire depicts a brain being injected with colored liquids, hinting that we live in a society where no ‘color’ is open to interpretation. Each color represents a power center where the brain is subjected and subjugated to social, religious, political, cultural, and commercial needs.

In the show, Ahire displays installation works that highlight the duality faced by common people. A work titled,’Ghulamgiri – II’ hoists the brain on a pedestal, imprisoned by barbed wire, like numerous ‘Lines of Control’ restricting its thought processes. Another engaging installation work asks the question, what is the weight of your faith/belief? Here faith or belief is not about politics or religion, but about becoming a ‘human being’ the ‘intelligent species’.

On a large metal balance, which is slightly askew with the weight of goodness weighing heavier (depicted by a brass lotus) than all the things that balance it (depicted by metal cutouts of the emblems of money and power); this work stands out as a silent protest. The work holds the power to question all the wars, the imbalances, injustices, and dichotomies carried out in history. A lotus bloom on a pedestal in another installation work stands cordoned off by the barbed wire prison, as a reminder of the state of free thought in today’s society burgeoning with intolerance.

Artist Laxman Ahire’s works question the identity of a ‘human being’ as an evolved animal. Ahire takes the viewers through a skewed evolution urging them to change themselves. The show holds a mirror up to the viewers and presents a salve to the tormented sensibilities of the Anthropocene human.

Sushma Sabnis
Mumbai

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