Cop Shiva is interested in documenting the complexity of rural and urban India. He is fascinated with the idea of masquerade and the roles people play in public and private. His protagonists often include intimate portraits of urban migrants, people of alternative sexuality, street performers and those living in the hinterland of urban and rural conflict. Capturing the diversity of those who live on the edge, in this series Shiva showcases the Karaga jatre, among other festivals, that are part of Bangalore’s native history, and include per formative facets that connect to the timeless mythology of the Mahabharata.

During such festivals the human becomes divine and man transforms into a goddess by night. The urban space becomes the scared space and believers are reborn from the fire of consciousness that transforms them beyond gender. In these communities, usually characterized by a patriarchal hierarchy, the images of men submitting to the ritual of gender transformation by smearing turmeric and adorning bangles, represents surrender to the divine feminine power and is subversive of the status quo.

Date

16 Oct - 20 Nov 2014

Artists

Cop Shiva

Medium

Photography