Issue No 5 — Histories – An Everyday Practice

Decaying Gods

by Sahej Rahal — Mar 22, 2018

The videos Saras and Raktchandra by Indian artist Sahej Rahal, display animated torsos of busts of the Hindu gods Saraswati and Ganesha. Crumbling bits from within the hollow plaster torsos of the decaying object-gods nudge themselves outward, like some mangled act combining exhumation and puppetry. The deities are conjuring possessed idols of B-movie shock horror fame, and confront the palpability of time as material.

Saras, 1:45 min., HD Video, 2013, Courtesy the artist and Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai

Raktchandra, 4:35 min., HD Video, 2016, Courtesy the artist and Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai

Sahej Rahal, Mumbai/India — Humanities, art, science & business, Solitude fellow 2015–2017

Sahej Rahal’s installations, films and performances are part of a constructed mythology that he creates drawing upon sources ranging from local legends to science fiction. By bringing these into dialogue with each other, Rahal creates scenarios where indeterminate beings emerge into the everyday as if from the cracks in our civilization. Rahal’s participation in institutional and major solo & group exhibitions internationally have included Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham UK, 2o18; Centre for Contemporary Arts Glasgow, 2017; PRIMARY Nottingham, UK 2017; the Liverpool Biennial, 2016; Setouchi Triennial, 2016; Jewish Museum, New York, 2015; Kochi Muziris Biennale, 2014; Vancouver Biennale, 2014; MACRO Museum, Rome, 2014. His work has been exhibited at Galleria Continua, Les Moulins, France, 2014 and Art Stage Singapore, 2014. He has had two major solo exhibitions at Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai. He is a recipient of the INLAKS emerging artist award 2012; the IFA Critical Arts Practice grant 2014; the Forbes India Art Award, 2014, for best debut show for his solo exhibition ‘Forerunner’ at Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai; and most recently the Cove Park/Henry Moore Fellowship, 2017.

View full profile