For this, the eighth installment of our blog series, we take up Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (Again Birth, Again Death): a detailed painting with the appearance of a single, enormous brushstroke!
Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (Again Birth, Again Death) (detail)
2013
Acrylic on canvas, tarpaulin
365.8 x 2,407.9 cm
N. S. Harsha's fascination with both the very smallest and the very largest of worlds is always deployed in his works with the most remarkable balance. Running through them is a series of opposing principles, such as Mysuru versus the world, or the progress of countries undergoing rapid development and the notion of human labor, as well as a perspective in which the micro is fused with the macro.
Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (Again Birth, Again Death), the largest work in this exhibition, is a masterpiece measuring more than 24 meters in length. Viewing the entire work from a distance, the painting takes on the appearance of a single, huge brushstroke. Turning one's attention to the finer details, however, the brushstroke starts to reveal a vast number of stars. For a brief moment, our consciousness is ushered into outer space, spurring our thoughts towards the entirety of the universe, and the endless cycle of death and rebirth.
Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam (Again Birth, Again Death)
2013
Acrylic on canvas, tarpaulin
365.8 x 2407.9 cm
Installation view: “N. S. Harsha: Charming Journey,” Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2017
Photo: Shiigi Shizune
■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
