New Age Chariot | 2010
In this painting, I subvert the famous picture of the Mahabharata story. In the scene of Mahabharata, Arjuna wages war with his enemy sitting in the chariot drawn by horses and driven by Krishna. But in my picture, the rhino sits on the chariot driven by the elephant. Human beings pull the chariot like the horses. The animals control and drive the human beings. The so called modern civilization puts the human being at the top position of the hierarchy whereas I give them the status of animal. The more human beings are civilized the more they have become barbarous. The destructive and suicidal activities of human beings suggest this. I reinterpret and re-historicize the mythical scene to explore the contemporary concern regarding the animal's right. I share the feelings of animals and assimilate oneself with them.
Menstruation-the Symbol of Purity | 2012
Menstruation-the Symbol of Purity, I use the lotus blossom’s symbol of purity to alter Hindu perceptions of women’s impurity. While lotus flowers are an important symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism the context clearly references the Hindu concept of pure beauty originating from the filth of muddy waters. Many religions have menstruation-related traditions. These may be bans on certain actions during menstruation such as intercourse, in every ritual and in the kitchen and also rituals to be performed at the end of each menses.
In my installation, a female mannequin’s vaginal region sprouts long red veins blossoming into lotus flowers. The flow of blood and breaking of the uterus lining is a process of cleansing. The life of women is further accentuated by the newspaper clippings coating the mannequin, featuring images and stories of women, most notably photographs from the Teej festival. Teej represents many positive things for Nepalese women, but the aspect of purification of body and soul to exonerate sins is closely connected with my intentions to affirm purity by re-contextualizing it.
Climate change connects to many health outcomes | 2012
Besides environmental and economic damage, climate change takes a toll on our most precious resource: human lives and health. In my concept, I have created a dashavatar (10-headed incarnation) that includes the heads of gods, humans and animals. All these characters are taking an inhaler (nebulizer) of oxygen from an oxygen cylinder.
My work focuses on the impact of climate change on health and connects it to many health issues, including illness and death related to temperature; the health effects of extreme weather and air pollution; water and food-borne diseases; vector-borne and rodent-borne diseases; and the effects of food and water shortages and population displacement.
