Coevality

The multi-layered human faces and trees at Charles Gaines Exhibition ‘Multiples of Nature, Trees, and Faces’, investigates the practice of identity and diversity amongst the human race, and conscious and material human actions on trees. The numbers engage formulas and systems, while overlapping colors over black and white background, subject the existing identity politics in humans and their dominance over nature. Gaines’ work reflects the human-made binary relationship of self and the other.

While walking through the exhibition, I could further relate his artworks to the works of two Indian artists, Prashant Pandey and Subodh Kerkar. Prashant’s work ‘Artha’ examines the addictive compulsion in humans, of referring to the inferior as ‘other’. Sculpting together the discarded blood sample slides, in a diamond form, Prashant questions the use of the term ‘other’ amongst the human race, specifically in the context of race, religion, and caste. One cannot segregate slides just by looking at them. Thereupon irrespective of varying race, religion, and caste, all may have similar blood groups, as according to scientific research in large proportions they might have different DNA, but can have a small relative ratio in genomes. And as research suggests plants, animals and humans have few analogous genomes.

Expediting on nature-human relationship, I am citing here Subodh’s work ‘Annabrahma, Infinite Rice……’, depicting the infinite rice fields facilitating in feeding humans, reflecting upon human dependency on nature for their healthy mental and physical growth. Henceforth, the human must realize that technological advancements can only feed our greed, but a balanced relationship with nature is the only key to human survival. A prominent affinity in all these works is the use of transparent medium whether it’s Gaines Plexiglass or the use of Glass slides in ‘Artha’ and Glass panel in ‘Annabrahma, Infinite Rice……’. The medium itself is contradictory, both projecting the inner self and absorbing the other that is the outer self.