Children Playing God
The Ramlila is a month-long theatrical performance based on the Ramayana, an ancient Indian epic poem. Each year, boys hand selected by the king of Ramnagar portray the main characters. They spend two grueling months working with dramatic coaches to perfect their performances. The boys, ranging in age from eight to fourteen, must live and rehearse at the site, and sometimes must look after themselves. During the entire process, the boys are considered to be living gods and goddesses, and are worshipped by the people of the community. The film explores the gap that separates the reality of these children’s lives from the fiction they portray, highlighting the ordinary aspects of being kids during the process of their temporary transformation into the divine.
Director
The central focus of Vish’s work has been an examination of developmental science, both during adolescence and the effects and outcomes through adulthood. Following a research-based practice, other ideas of sexual identity, gender roles, social pressure and achieved expectations are at the core of his interests that allows Vish to place emphasis on exploring the associations between human emotions & adversity and their corresponding public and personal personas. This affords him the opportunity to investigate the relation between the imagery of fictional worlds and the conditions of reality, and sometimes merging both fiction and non-fiction with each other.
In both his filmmaking and his photography, Vish analyzes the world through the lens of personal politics. His overriding objective for all of his projects has been to create narratives, whether linear or abstract, that, in turn, open up spaces for greater engagement between audience and art, between viewers and characters/subjects, because doing so helps to bridge the seemingly wide chasms that separate “us” from “them”.
Vish’s films has screened in several film festivals such as the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, Chelsea Film Festival, StarLite Film Festival, at the Anthology Film archives in New York City and the Full On Film festival at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. Vish’s film ‘A Boy Called Boris’ was screened at 1Shanthiroad studio/gallery as part of a group exhibition titled ‘Much to say’, showcased along with paintings by visual artist Bhuvanesh Kumar. Apart from his films, Vish’s video art and photography has shown at galleries such as A.M (Art Multi-disciplines) Studio in Kolkata, Art Konsult in Delhi, Gallery Sumukha in Bangalore, Art Houz in Bangalore, MaximiliansForum in Munich.
Vish has been working as the program coordinator at 1shanthiroad Studio/Gallery for the past two years focusing on programming 1shanthiroad’s international residencies by collaborating closely and maintaining artistic connections with renowned cultural institutions such as the Goethe Institute, Pro Helvetia, Asialink, Iaspis, British Council, Asia-Europe Foundation and several institutions from India such as Shergil-Sundaram Arts Foundation, IFA, Raza Foundation and more. Having previously been accepted to the summer residency program at 1shanthiroad in 2016, he has been instrumental in further developing the residency into an annual residency program. Apart from administering the residency programs, Vish is a key member at the gallery involved with organizing programs and events that cater to alternative art practices in Bangalore.