This interview was recorded in conjunction with the Exhibition “FARMER IS WRESTLER” BY Thukral AND Tagra ( known as T&T) at the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi Gallery, Chandigarh, held from 20th February to 6th March 2019, The exhibition was about the agrarian crisis in the country. This series of videos has been started at the initiative Diwan Manna, artist and President of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi for the video archives of PLKA. The exhibition addresses the urgency of the agrarian crisis faced by farmers in India today. Over the years, generational divisions of land, climate change, vote-bank politics, lack of implementation of law and the general deficit of formal education in rural communities has severely affected the lives and livelihoods of Indian farmers. Using the metaphor of sport and game, the exhibition draws parallels to act of kushti – a form of traditional Indian wrestling that is popular amongst rural communities. The wrestling bout depicts physical and mental struggle, endurance and resilience – which are all symbolic of the farmer fighting for his life against the agrarian crisis. The exhibition title Farmer is Wrestler pinpoints this very aspect of the farmers’ fate: a life which hangs in limbo. As natives of Punjab, Thukral and Tagra delve into their own personal histories and memories to address the socio-cultural changes most visible in their home state. Shifting family values, a desire for ‘escape’ via migration, and changing middle-class aspirations have all been recurring motifs in their work. This exhibition carries forward the artists use of ‘games’ as a tool to address complex issues through interactive and playful means. Their approach intends to give viewers a sense of nostalgia and comfort, while still challenging the status-quo. Thukral and Tagra: JitenThukral (1976) Jalandhar, Punjab, India BFA, Government College of Art Chandigarh; MFA, New Delhi College of Art SumirTagra (1979) New Delhi, India Shankar’s Academy of Arts, New Delhi, BFA, New Delhi College of Art, PG, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad JitenThukral and SumirTagra work collaboratively with a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, installations, interactive games, video, performance and design. Thukral&Tagra work on new formats of public engagement and attempt to expand the scope of what art can do. Over the years they have had notable exhibitions at Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Arken Museum in Denmark, Kunstmuseum in Bochum, Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art in France, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Art Gallery of Alberta in Canada, Fed @ KCAD Galleries in Michigan, Dubai Design Week in Dubai, BhauDaji Lad Museum in Mumbai, BTAP Gallery and Tokyo Art Fair in Tokyo, Arario Gallery in Seoul, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, Art Statements, Art Basel 38, India Ceramics Triennale @ JKk in Jaipur, NGMA in Mumbai, South Bank Centre in London, The Manchester Museum, Khoj in Delhi, Kunstmuseum Bochum in Germany, Herbert GerischStiftung Neumunster in Germany, Dairy Art Centre in London, UCCA in Beijing, Arken Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Maxxi Museum in Rome, Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Helsinki Art Museum in Finland, University Museum of Art in Melbourne, Venice Biennale, Wereld Museum in Rotterdam, Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei Kulturhuset in Stockholm, SESC Pompei in Sao Paulo, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, Essl Museum in Vienna, Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Arts 06-Queensland in Brisbane, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, UCLA Fowler Museum in Los Angeles, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai, Chatterjee&Lal in Mumbai, Nature Morte in Berlin, Gallery Barry Keldoulis in Sydney, Bose Pacia in New York, Art Plural Gallery in Singapore, Arario gallery in Seoul, Pearl Lam Gallery in Singapore. This year they have been invited to mount exhibitions at Quarry Gallery, Yorkshire Sculpture Park in UK, Kunstverein Ludwigsburg in Stuttgart, Germany and Lille Tripostle in France.
State Academy of Art