Papers by jaishri abichandani
Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures and the Americas, 2015
We have long been fascinated by the Utopian and/or dystopian possibilities of science fiction, pr... more We have long been fascinated by the Utopian and/or dystopian possibilities of science fiction, projecting our anxieties about being a flawed species onto exaggerated versions of ourselves. Vampires and visitors from other worlds populate our bookshelves while on-screen shapeshifters (those with the ability to change their physical form at will) and mutants hold our children spellbound; District 9, the recent movie set in post-apartheid South Africa, places aliens in townships, reiterating the oppressive separation that can exist among species and in X-Men the infamous Mystique is a deceptive super villain who survives repeated attacks by constantly transforming herself. Such shapeshifters have the advantage of acquiring powers associated with their new forms; however, aliens have long been a naked metaphor for the "other," whether manifested through gender, sexuality, race, religion. Our fear and desire for the alien other remains intrinsically linked. Anahita Voussoughi says "in the world of science fiction all bodies are malleable and on the verge of becoming some-
Stargazing' is understood as the absorption in chimerical or impractical ideas as well as the act... more Stargazing' is understood as the absorption in chimerical or impractical ideas as well as the act of watching the night sky. What is needed in either case is extended contemplation and a willingness to allow for magic. Making art requires a process of shaping daydreams into existence, as artworks appear to us fully formed in some instances, and have to be found through a process of deduction in others. The exhibition Stargazing at Rossi & Rossi presents Jaishri Abichandani, Nida Abidi, Anita Dube, Chitra Ganesh and Mithu Sen-five Indian artists who approach their work with a sensual and subversive femininity akin to the energy of the dark goddess Kali. Their work carries a hint of black magic, a fearlessness that conjures visions of a mocking, restrained power with the potential to destroy the (assumptions of) creator and viewer alike. Stargazing is the final installment in a trilogy of feminist exhibitions exploring themes in science fiction held at Rossi & Rossi.
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Papers by jaishri abichandani