In the second edition of this blog, we take up one of N. S. Harsha's most important early works, the “Charming Nation” series.
Economic reforms were implemented in India starting in the early 1990s, and investment opportunities for foreign capital in various fields were thrown open. Bengaluru (Bangalore), the capital city of the state of Karnataka, became a hub for the IT industry known as “India's Silicon Valley,” while Mysuru, which is located in the same state, attracted attention in the field of educational institutions. By the early 2000s, this influence also came to be seen in the field of agriculture.
N. S. Harsha's works from this period demonstrate the artist's attempt to deconstruct the phenomenon of a global world, alongside the influences and relationships emerging out of that globalizing process from a multivalent perspective, all while being based in Mysuru.
They Will Manage My Hunger (from the “Charming Nation” series)
2006
Acrylic on canvas
97 x 97 cm
Collection: Bodhi Art Limited, New Delhi
The uniformed children are pointing at the building that houses the headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and adults tilling the fields in the traditional way using cows. Here, Harsha seems to be questioning: is it the farmers who cultivate the fields or international free trade that is responsible for filling the empty stomachs of the children, and sustaining the growth of the nation?
Charming Nation (from the “Charming Nation” series)
2006
Acrylic on canvas
97 x 97 cm
Collection: Ruchira Agarwal, Mumbai
When bulldozers and other agricultural machinery first started to be introduced into farming villages, many people made a visit to the fields to see these rare machines for themselves, gazing cheerfully at the novel sight. However, these same foreign-made machines soon began to usurp the jobs of the farmers. Seated on the top of the column is a snake charmer, the Orientalist cliché of India, and a slate inscribed with the phrase “Charming Nation,” both of which are being swallowed whole by the bulldozer.
In the “Charming Nation” series, the foreign investors and bankers who visit Mysuru, the maharaja from the Mysore Palace, local politicians, spiritual leaders, a snake charmer, astronauts, and children all transcend time and space, linked to each other within the narrative of the work.
■Relevant Information
・
N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey
February 4, 2017 - June 11, 2017
・A “Charming Journey” Round the Works of N. S. Harsha
(1) We Come, We Eat, We Sleep
(2) “Charming Nation” Series
(3) Come Give Us a Speech
(4) Sky Gazers
(5) Nations
(6) Leftovers
(7) Future
(8) Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (Again Birth, Again Death).
(9) Matter
