With his project at Ascendas, Taramani, titled Discord, you know you aren’t going to be treated to an exhibition of happy snaps. “My work has nothing to do with decorative art,” explains Samar Singh Jodha, whose exhibition of photographs bring together two decades of his adventure with the lenses across China, Africa, South Asia and Middle East countries. The photographs, which form a collage on a seven cast concrete wall his installation summarise the plight of migrant construction workers across the country. Among his works, the graffiti with a cow tied to a pole, in an immobile state, represents the helplessness of an on-site worker who cannot go home to see his family. “These photographs have mostly been taken on the go,” Jodha explains. “Living away from their families, underpaid and homeless, the graffiti in the photographs have actually been made by the construction workers themselves,” reveals Samar. It is a good thing that the Art Chennai festival isn’t restricted to galleries only. The India Art Fair, held under one roof was more commercial, but here at Art Chennai, the artists would get more exposure and people will be aware of art, Jodha said. Another installation at the IT Park, Last Pass, shows Riyas Komu’s inspiration from football and footballers. The 24ft x 8ft work in wood and metal, is a coffin with two pairs of legs of footballers used to support it on either side, making perhaps a reference to the neglected state of the sport in the country. “I strongly feel that it is my duty to be political. My work should look back at the viewer rather than just tell a story or hang on the wall,” says the Mumbai-based artist, who has many awards to his credit. Discord and Last Pass are on view till March 18 at Ascendas, CSIR Road, Taramani.
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