Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art fairs
archive

T.V. Santhosh: remembering victims of violence and war

Visitors to the fair are encouraged to use the space to empathise with victims of violence

Helen Stoilas
1 March 2009
Share

A stark cell with walls built to resemble stacks of human bones has been created on Korean gallery Arario’s stand (P94/1510) by Indian artist T.V. Santhosh. A Room to Pray (2008, edition of three, E116,000) is a nightmare version of the classic white cube gallery, whose floor is a burning carpet of red LED lights streaming the transcript of a Hiroshima survivor describing her experiences of the atomic bombing. The work, presented in collaboration with Mumbai’s The Guild Art Gallery, is a reminder of the history of violence and war in modern civilisation.

Visitors to the fair are encouraged to use the space to empathise with victims of violence and think about how such events can be prevented from happening again. “It is a prayer room where someone can sit and pray for other people rather than for oneself,” Santhosh told The Art Newspaper as he was installing the piece yesterday.

Also on view with Arario are works by the Indian artist Tallur L.N. which address food shortages in places such as Asia and Africa. A squat bunker of inflated grain sacks, Panic Room (2006), sits in a corner while a human figure made of clay and coconut husks, Hangover (2006), dangles by a noose in the centre of the stand.

Art fairsWar & Conflict
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Museumsarchive
30 September 2007

Pakistan’s contemporary museum launches with anti-war art

President Musharraf has encouraged artists to promote a “peaceful and tolerant” image of their country through their work

Helen Stoilas