From 22 March to 25 May 2013, Art Plural Gallery presented Windows of Opportunity, a solo exhibition featuring the latest works of Indian artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra.
Thukral and Tagra, alias “T&T”, have been collaborating since 2004 and are now widely recognized in the international contemporary art scene. Influenced by contemporary life in all its diversity, T&T boast a rich body of work in painting, sculpture, installation and product design. Their art appeals to a global audience addressing universal themes of identity, consumerism and change.
For this exhibition, Windows of Opportunity, a new series of paintings and wall reliefs explore the socio-political issues behind the Punjabi diaspora. The subject addresses an issue that is close to home for the artists, as many of their own peers have migrated out of India in recent years. As in the past, the youth of India today desire to escape their nation and live out their fantasies in America, Europe or Australia, fantasies perpetuated by the mass media. The ‘windows of opportunity’ they seek are referenced in portraits of young individuals framed in airplane windows, waiting patiently for escape. Another witty choice of imagery hints that a difficult reality belies this dream: these portraits look to be encased in pinball machines, likening the process of getting a visa or living abroad to a never-ending game where one is thrown back and forth, jostled between reality and fantasy.
