Artists have been known to do crazy things to accumulate attention and few have both dedication and wisdom to conduct provocative work that can trigger discussions.
In the opening of the ceremony of ‘Nepali Art Beyond the border’ in Taragaon Museum, Boudha at started on December 9, 2021; where many were expecting a performance art of a well-renowned artist Sujan Chitrakar but many weren’t mentally prepared for what he was about to do.
During the performance art like on a previous occasion, he got his head shaved while the volunteers passed a booklet to the audience with a disclaimer written on it that the organizer, fellow artists, audience, and the venue does not bear any responsibility for the performance! Clearing a picture that something dark was about to be shown to the audience.
After the shaving of his head was completed, he took his pile of hair and walked down the stairs. He put the hair on the white cloth and started to pierce his foot with a syringe to collect his blood. The cut from the syringe caused the blood to drip from his feet while he was busy repeating this process to another foot; he then used the blood in the installation which he was creating.
He then removed his shirt and used a razor blade to cut his chest and hand. Some were so scared that they started to look in another direction while his body was bleeding.
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Sujan Chitrakar then pierced his lower lip with a needle followed the process to his upper lip then sewed it and quietly sat down. It was a mind-numbing experience to see someone conduct a well-planned series of self-inflicting wounds.
It became a questionable act while searching the meaning of such an insane action we could only return to the booklet in which the first page wrote: “…and it should hurt me no more a performance by Sujan Chitrakar.”
On the next page, it was dedicated to a female friend who had committed suicide; the following page mentioned how we stigmatize mental health and how we could only relate to physical health while failing to understand mental wellbeing.
The booklet also instructed the audience to act wherever and whenever necessary which means that all audiences simply chose to do nothing and look at the suffering.
The art triggered questions like does self-inflicting wounds gives any solution. There is also a moral question that an associate professor is becoming a lesson to its students to conduct injury as a distraction to the mental pain or the act should be seen in a more positive light as the art is at least trying to raise awareness on mental wellbeing.
Blood has been extremely symbolic and equally powerful- red color naturally stands out and alerts our mind. The ability to suffer self-inflicted pain is both a daring and a shocking act- all done in the name of art.
There were questions on the agenda of conducting an art that can’t even be sold and morality of such action but it is certain that artists have a natural tendency to push borders and add new elements in the dimension of art and activism.
Art by its nature is perceived as visual communication, a technique which to accumulate attention and could trigger discussion on the various topic that helps in transforming society.
The artwork may be seen as dark or even lunatic but undoubtedly powerful that even caused some to cry. After the performance, it triggered the discussion about the ethics of such form of artwork, the mental health of the artist, and the mental health of the world which was generally forgotten in the rush of life.
The exhibition as a whole intends to break the traditional form of artwork with installation artwork conducted by various artists and was exhibited till December 17, 2021.
