The mishandling, laziness and ignorance showed by the Indian government during some of the country’s worst days is not a thing of novelty any more –– we have been witness to the last threads of life and subject to widespread grief.
Ayesha John, in her art piece ‘A State Of Horror’, conveys the sheer devastation majorly due to the poor handling of the pandemic by the government –– cries for help, ground realities and glimpses of our future, all packed into a collage of misery.
Commenting on her artwork, Ayesha says, “It is an exhausted, wistful outpour of emotions using the brilliant work of photojournalists who capture the truth featured in various magazines.”
She continues, “The anger, sadness and empathy we all feel is a result of our desire to live in a just society where all people are treated equitably. It fuels our resistance against fascism and oppressive systems that exist. In its depths it calls for love, for collective action, solidarity and togetherness.”
Her creative process is a rather thorough one –– while she draws inspiration from artists and musicians who use their art to bring about change, her own process involves a lot of depth in thinking, finding patterns and making sense of somewhat incoherent matter.
“The collection of these pieces is not a timed process, it is ongoing. I place the ones that are relevant to a particular theme out onto a larger sheer of paper. Once I am happy with the initial placement, I trim and shape the images in accordance to my liking, and begin the second placement. The second placement allows me to find gaps or imbalances in my art,” she says.
She further explains, “When I am finally satisfied with the arrangement, I take a picture of the project (to remind myself of the positioning) and then begin to stick all the pieces down. I also always ask my close friends and family for their input.”
Expressed wonderfully through a rather busy piece, Ayesha’s ‘A State Of Horror’ is hard-hitting, realistic and introspective. A glance at it will retell our utmost grievances, pains and challenges as put in place by those meant to act in its citizens’ service.
Find Ayesha here.
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