Arwa Janjali catches up with Srinivas Krishna and Bepen Bhana, two artistes of Indian origin, whose works are a must watch at the ongoing Auckland Arts Festival.
Local artist Bepen Bhana’s recent art exhibition, ‘The Curry Bunch’, is more than just a playful fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. The characters of popular American sitcom ‘The Brady Bunch’ come alive in his paintings, with a quintessential Eastern touch. And the artist tells us how he aims to defuse the age-old social stigma associated with the South Asian community living in New Zealand through his art, albeit in a lighthearted way.
Why the fascination with ‘The Brady Brunch’?
My fascination with ‘The Brady Bunch’ originates from my childhood, growing up as a first generation Kiwi of Indian ethnicity in New Zealand in the 1970s. I grew up in a household where we weren’t allowed to speak English because my father was adamant we didn’t lose our mother tongue– which was Gujarati. I consequently learnt to speak English from iconic popular imported T.V. shows such as Kojak, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie’s Angels, Little House On The Prairie, The Waltons, The Partridge Family, as well as The Brady Bunch.
Where did the idea of giving this iconic American sitcom an Eastern touch come from?
The Curry Bunch has effectively developed as a collaged combination of my childhood living room. Like many households back then, the furniture was arranged around the TV set which acted as a central focal point. The walls were covered in framed family photographs and cheaply printed Indian calendar art depicting a wide range of Hindu Gods and Goddesses wearing a range of tilaks, bindis and caste marks. These prints would eventually get framed in elaborate mirrored frames. Also garlands of plastic flowers would be hung around them. So by collaging these elements, I think viewers can begin to figure out how these artworks came about.
In addition, I wanted to employ some humour and wordplay in the title of the exhibition. The Curry Bunch is a pun – a play on words due to it sounding close to the word ‘Curry Muncher’ – a derogatory term that I’ve grown up with, directed to persons of South Asian origin. I suppose I’m frustrated that as an ethnic slur ‘Curry Muncher’ condenses thousands of years of culture into one generic food class, condensing the diversity of all Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, Nepali, and Bengali people, and their respective religions – into one single group. So I probably see this project as a proactive means, in whatever small way, to defuse the term, and for those of us whom this term is directed towards to, to take ownership of it, to be proud of it, (but with our tongues firmly in our cheeks).
There has been a certain emphasis on the foreheads of each of the characters in your artwork to make them essentially Indian. Why did you choose to concentrate only on that cultural aspect?
I did actually experiment a lot trying to find the correct visual balance, such as darkening the skin of ‘The Brady Bunch’ figures to make them appear more South Asian. Or attempting to make their skin a more divine blue like Lord Krishna, Vishnu or Shiva. I also did try to depict ‘The Brady Bunch’ in more traditional South Asian clothing such sarees, shalwar kameez, kurta, pathani, dhoti and so forth. However, the results of these experiments meant that the subjects were no longer readily recognisable to audiences as ‘The Brady Bunch’. Therefore, concentrating on the forehead markings as cultural signifiers, seemed to be the best strategy visually to convey my ideas.
Is this your first fusion exhibit of Eastern and Western cultures?
Even though it’s not a characteristic that’s always featured in my work, I have been engaging with ideas of cultural identity, cultural appropriation and cultural hybridity since my first year at art school. Most of my work that deals with these themes has been exhibited in group shows. The Curry Bunch marks my first solo exhibition that investigates these ideas – which is pretty exciting for me.
What has been the response for ‘The Curry Bunch’?
From what I can tell to date, the response has been generally positive. For me it’s been very rewarding seeing this body of work come together, and I’m grateful for having the opportunity to having my work exhibited alongside someone of Srinivas Krishna’s caliber.
A catalogue has been published to accompany the exhibition and seems to be generating a reasonable amount of dialogue. This catalogue has largely been made possible through the generous support of The Asia New Zealand Foundation.
texts by the show’s Curator, James Pinker, Associate Professor Peter Shand from the University of Auckland, and myself. The catalogue is already being used as a teaching resource in some tertiary art schools around the country, which is satisfying to hear, as it all contributes to the dialogue.