N S Harsha b. 1969
Further images
Nations is a work that was derived from the spinning wheel (charkha) that symbolizes Gandhi's Indian independence movement, as well as the sewing machine that served as a symbol of industrialization. The foot-operated sewing machine, however, also alludes to the fact that it was human energy and labor that was responsible for establishing nations. The designs of the flags were drawn up by making reference to children's books sold at little shops, but the fact that the flag only appears on one side of the cloth also seems to suggest the emptiness of the very idea of a nation. Since the latter half of the 2000s, Harsha has been experimenting with new possibilities in painting including those paintings on floor and wall that make reference not only to American, European, and Indian painting, but also that of other countries including Japan and China. In this sense, Nations also interrogates the very meaning of “painting.”
Exhibitions
2007 9th Sharjah Biennial, Sharjah, UAE2007 SH Contemporary, Shanghai, China
2009 Iniva at Rivington Place, UK
2012 Sub-Tropical Heat: New art from South Asia, Museum of Contemporary Art, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Zealand
2017 Charming Journey, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan