When Gods and superheroes collide

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Can you imagine Superman in the Nataraj pose, or Lord Bhairab playing with Captain America, or Goddesses Kali in Superman’s improvised costume, or Hulk-like character flying with a mountain in one hand a la Hanuman? Such pictures have probably not crossed your mind, but artist Manish Harijan has visualised such images at his exhibition ‘Rise of the Collateral’ on at the Siddartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited, from August 22.

In a dramatic scene in one of the paintings, a golden and shiny Bhairab is fighting a muscular and strong Captain America. In another scene, Hulk-like character is holding an upside-down mountain like the way Hanuman once carried a mountain with Sanjeevani. The impact of superheroes in society is evident in 10 of Har

ijan’s paintings and a 3D work — Pure Spirit at the exhibition, which is on till September 20.

“Combining Oriental with Occidental elements and colliding two different cultures” Harijan uses Neo-Contemporary art to showcase in his second solo exhibition which is different from the rest of the paintings that you come across usually.

“My fascination in Superhero comics as a child and my attraction towards culture along with the drive to do something unique has resulted in Rise of the Collateral,” reveals the artist.

Superheroes are Occidental, while the use of Tibetan clouds and lotus and portrayal of Eastern gods and goddesses depicts Oriental elements.

“The Superhero movies have impact on us,” Harijan expresses. And this impact can be witnessed in how he has used Superman costumes in different pantings like Super Nataraj, Super Nataraj I, Super Nataraj II and Super Kali.

And that’s not all. Harijan compares Superheroes to Gods as he believes “Why were Superheroes born? They were born to save society from dangers and enemies which is similar to Gods protecting us from evil and demons,” he rationalises.

This is the very reason why a painting which has 108 Superheroes side by side is titled ‘108 Gods’. The Superheroes include Superman, Spiderman, Captain America, Green Lantern, among other 108 Superheroes. He has also shown the commercialisation of religion in ‘Ghost Rider is the Buddha’, which includes a Laughing Buddha with a golden Ghost Rider Buddha. In God Creates Us, God Loves Us, which has many skulls, the artist has tried to portray skull as a precious element as it is related with God.

Harijan’s concept seems very interesting. With Rise of the Collateral, Harijan has developed a free style of paintings. This 27 year old painter is the recepient of the KCAC’s Margret Washington Memorial Scholarship Award.