Medium: 24 inch screen, Arduino, wood
Edition: 1/4
Dimensions: Variable
Year: 2024
About the artwork
Historical records are like the threads in a grand, intricate tapestry, each one essential to the weave of our collective memory and cultural identity. These threads, representing diverse facets of our past, come together to form a rich and complex design that narrates our journey. When these threads are reweaved—whether by introducing new patterns or disrupting established ones—they create a palpable tension between the original design and the new alterations. This upheaval can unravel the fabric of our understanding, dramatically shifting the coherence and texture of the tapestry that binds our societal and cultural landscape.
The work "Knot of the Tongue" delves into such a disruption, focusing on the changes that took place in 2019 when the Delhi High Court ordered the replacement of 383 Urdu and Persian words with Hindi or English in FIR filings. These words were deemed tongue-twisting and archaic, prompting a reweaving of the linguistic threads in the legal fabric. This decision highlights how altering historical and cultural elements can influence the broader narrative, shifting the tapestry of our collective understanding.
About the artist
Tahsin Akhtar (b. 1988) from Jharkhand, India and currently practices in Delhi. He works across various media, including projection mapping, video, painting, photography, kinetic sculpture, animation, and performance. His practice deals with close and critical observation of mundane life and the phenomena of multiple perception, identities and human-machine relationship in this digital era. He adds an assorted value to his collected mundane objects, faceless heads, and morphed figures and renders an absurdity which emphasize on the irrational, illogical and incongruous aspects of contemporary life.
His work has been displayed at various galleries, events and festivals, such as ‘Permanent Conference’, curated by Shristi Sainani at Gallerie Nvya January 2024. “Polyphonies in Distance” curated by Sibdas Sengupta at Gallery Dotwalk july 2023. “Appearance in a Landscape” curated by Jihyoung Park and B Ajay Sharma at Culture Gwangju, South Korea. may 2023. “In the wall, a window” NFT Exhibition curated by LAND, may 2023. “Eye/View” Curated by Axel Topfer at REX cinema in Bern, Switzerland by Videocity 2023.. “Fleeting Identities”, presented by MASH at IIC Delhi Sept 2022. “Immersion “at Art Heritage Gallery Sept 2022. “YUVA SAMBHAVA” curated by Dr. Meera Menezes at Bikaner House Presented by Raza Foundation Feb 2022. “Traces of Transference” at Emami Art Kolkata 2022. “Desolate” curated by Rahul Kumar at Museo Camera Gurugram presented by Art Incept Feb 2021. "Call to disorder" curated by Vidya Shivadas at old PWD Complex serendipity art festival (Goa) Dec 2019. “Semblance” curated by Premjish Achari at Visual Art Gallery, IHB, New Delhi presented by PANCHKONE 2012.
