“He made daring use of ready made objects, by for example, substituting a male genital with a double knob-fitted mixer spout for its human form. It indeed was a great display by an emerging young spirit of the coming generation.”
This year, for his BFA Solo Exhibition Project, Laxman is all set to make yet another statement by expounding youth culture through his art. In his series entitled “Soundless Sound” he incorporates badges encrypted with different slogans and icons. Through them he tries to create a visual form of the silent conversations that the badges evoke.
Laxman had desperately wanted to join the BFA course at KU, when he would see the green board of the KU Centre for Art and design in Bhaktapur Durbar square, his regular hangout. He decided he would pursue his further studies there. “But the university would not let me join until I finished my intermediates; so just for that sake I cleared my intermediates, took a re-exam in Accounts, a subject that I had failed in my first year.” shares Laxman, giggling aloud.
For his new show, Laxman, who likes walking around the streets before he starts his work, decided to exploit his fascination for the iconic badges sported by the young crowd. “I instantly saw immense possibilities of visual communication through them. That’s when I decided to use them in my series,” says Laxman. “A person’s choice of a particular badge and the message in them silently communicate to me what the person’s state and desires are.” He adds.
His experimentation with the badges is a continuation of his fascination with creating a three dimensional effect into a two dimensional painting. In his last project, which required him to take a popular art figure and transcend it into something completely new, he had chosen Michelangelo’s nude sculpture of David and transfigured it into Lord Shiva. It was in that figure that he’d substituted a water spout for the genitals.
He uses that same concept in one of his paintings in his new series, the only one in plywood. Interestingly, the art goes along with a badge that reads “I am a virgin. This is a very old badge.” His new series also features similar badges addressing various issues of virginity, sex, smoking weed, breakups, rebellion, politics and fashion.
Commenting on the badges, which feature such slang words and bold statements, he says “I have used these badges because they signify the present youth culture. I am not personally promoting it or satirizing it, but just baring it all through my art.”
Most of his paintings in the series are the result of the insights that the badges produced in him. But the amalgamation of the badges and his paintings allow viewers to come up with a whole new insight. The hooded figures, which seem like grim reapers at first glance, when paired up with a badge that says “Innocent” creates a work that invites one to ponder over the creation Then there’s a painting of an innocent looking girl that has an badge that reads “I too have sinned.” What’s Laxman’s point? “Things are not always as it seems,” he says. “For example, someone we perceive as dark may have the purest soul inside. This is what I am trying to denote.”
“I focused on youths in the current series because youngsters are always trying to be unique, either by making tangible choices in their clothing, hairstyles, body art and piercing or by associating with the intangible elements of youth subculture such as music genres, dialects or slang.” says Laxman. “That is how I perceive youth culture and I have tried bringing all that out in my art.”
He adds that youths strongly believe in creating a distinct identity for themselves outside their family, that social exclusion and the heedless attitude of youngsters are eminently ingrained in the youth culture. We see this attitude that he’s observed coming through in many of his paintings.
In fact, some of his works display an attitude that’s even more snarky than the attitude one usually associates with youths. In one painting, he’s drawn ears with badge for studs that say “Whatever”. One painting has a girl wearing a mask with the badge that reads “Don’t worry be quiet”. Another painting has a disheveled girl carrying a badge that reads “Leave me alone”. The messages come out and loud and clear, and his canvases do successfully create what he calls “silent sounds.”
K. K. Karmacharya, the senior artist who inaugurated Laxman’s exhibition says, “For a first exhibition, Laxman’s work was extremely well put. His experimentation with art and the modern feel he’s able to create is very impressive. I definitely see a successful future for him.”
Laxman’s series brings together elements that the young people of today are familiar with: but by mixing the familiar to create unfamiliar melded forms, he’s able to give voice to what he calls the “soundless dialogues.”
Laxman’s exhibition will be open till 8th June at the Nepal Art Council.
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