Mapping the Fall of a Dome and Last Supper on the Streets: An Artist’s Dialogue with His Times
Author(s): Ananda Krishnan S.K.
Abstract: This paper throws light on contemporary Indian life with reference to a painting produced using the visual language of maps. This work, in the form of a map, brought to the fore the images of a violated Muslim body and the dome of the demolished Mosque of Babri at its centre. It combined images from particular historical contexts with texts in English and Malayalam and visual symbols from the cyber world. It attempted to delineate the exclusionary Indian social history where minorities were targeted based on their beliefs, food habits, and clothing. It is argued that the violent discourse of nationalism based on xenophobia has been spreading nationwide with the proliferation of mobile phones and the internet. The painting tried to expose the supposed neutrality of cartographic science and smart phones by weaving them together in the wake of violent nationalistic discourse and activities spread across the country. The cartographic visual framework is an appropriate artistic strategy to engage with the violence unleashed on people with different denominations within their country’s geography. It critiques the demand for authentic national behaviour based on the majority religion’s perspective in a country with many faiths co-existed for centuries.
Practical Implications: This paper discusses a painting that critiques the violent social landscape of India. A highly varied visual culture that constantly shapes societies requires research-oriented image-making with social responsibility and ethical concerns. This study offers a model for critical image-making practice for the culture industry.
Keywords: Anthropomorphised Cartography; Cyberspace; Food Habits; Homeland; Violence.
Cite as –Ananda Krishnan S.K. (2023). Mapping the Fall of a Dome and Last Supper on the Streets: An Artist’s Dialogue with His Times. International Journal of Design and Allied Sciences (IJDAS), 2(1), 12–21.