BackMessage in a poster
Orijit Sen pays homage to the language of posters in his new exhibition
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Widely circulated memes and graphics in the age of Internet and social media have changed the language of poster design. The recruitment poster for the US army featuring Uncle Sam, forefinger pointed, has been developed into numerous memes across the social media space. The “Keep calm and carry on" poster, seen in different variations on Facebook feeds, was originally produced by the British government in 1939 as a motivational poster to boost civilian morale amid German air raids on London. Here, digital posters delivering party messages were a common sight during the general election that concluded earlier this month.
“The poster has been employed for various purposes throughout history, as a means of mass communication, propaganda and public art. However, in some ways the traditional printed poster is a marginalized form now," says New Delhi-based graphic artist Orijit Sen, whose 1994 graphic novel River Of Stories, based on the Narmada Bachao Andolan campaign against dams on the river, won him acclaim. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Sen has been involved in graphic, textile, exhibition and museum design projects since 1989.
In his new exhibition Imposters, which will be on show at the GallerySKE in Bangalore from 2 June, Sen explores the medium of screen-printed posters which have largely been replaced by large-scale, commercial digital printing. “With the shrinking public spaces in our cities now dominated by large-scale, commercial digital printing; and with the Internet and social media having become the medium of choice for the delivery and consumption of announcements, publicity and propaganda of all kinds, the screen-printed posters have become a marginalized form now," says Sen.
However, unlike conventional posters that act as announcements of future events, the 30 limited-edition screen-prints in Sen’s exhibition, made on handmade paper, play upon some of the defining events in art, literature and cinema, along with the artist’s personal interpretation of these iconic symbols.
For instance, in one poster, Sen has renamed Che Guevara as Chai Guevara. And while the face of the Argentine Marxist revolutionary remains the same as in the picture taken by Cuban photographer Alberto Korda in 1960, this Chai Guevara is seen making tea; the accompanying text by Sen talks about how a revolution is spreading through the country. Etched in white cloud, against the bright brown colour of the poster, this commentary stands out.
In another poster, Helen Of Bombay, made on the lines of Helen of Troy from Greek mythology, Sen has showcased the woman’s (in this case Helen’s) desire to be free—“No need to rescue me boys, I’m already free"—and the way the concept of women’s freedom is considered “anti-national" by some. “The images and texts on these posters constitute a personal commentary on the many cultural and political histories that we simultaneously strive to live with and live by. In unpacking the iconic imagery of traditional poster art, these graphic renditions move between homage and spoof, between the real and the imaginary, between fiction and fact," says Sen.
“I am particularly fascinated by the ways that posters balance the need to grab attention with arresting graphics and type, and then draw the viewer into a more nuanced or layered exposition of the subject at hand. Imposters pays homage to this language of posters," says Sen, who plans on taking Imposters to Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi later this year.
Imposters will be on view from 2 June-5 July, 11am-7pm (Tuesdays closed), at GallerySKE,
2, Berlie Street, Langford Town, Bangalore (41120873).
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