Srilamanthula Chandramohan
Encyclopedia
Srilamanthula Chandramohan (b. 1981) is an artist who was born in Madanapally, a village in Andra Pradesh in southern India
.
degree in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
(J.N.T.U.) in Hyderabad and pursued a Master of Fine Arts
degree in Graphics at the Maharaja Sayajirao University (M.S.U.) in Baroda, Gujarat. He has received numerous important national and international awards for his work, including the 49th Lalit Kala Akademi National Exhibition award in 2006 for Remorse I and more recently first prize in the 2009 Bhopal Bienniale for Remorse VI.
, MSU Baroda. At the time of the dispute he was a final year post-graduate student. Protests against artworks by Chandramohan began on May 9, 2007.
The paintings were part of an annual exam, however by tradition, the public was invited to view the paintings. Times of India (7 May 2007) and Gujarati daily Sandesh
(9 May 2007) mentioned that the works of art created by the students of the faculty as a part of their Annual Examination were open for public display on the 9th May 2007. Among the earliest to protest was the district superintendent of the Methodist Church in Baroda, Reverend Emmanuel Kant He said,
He also flayed Chandramohan for being 'a vulgar and insensitive person who dared to portray Lord Jesus in an extremely objectionable manner'.
A group of irate Hindu
s, led by Niraj Jain, a Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) activist, accompanied by local police, also came into the exhibition venue. Jain, who had complained to the police about the allegedly blasphemous nature of the paintings, demanded the paintings be removed.
The two objectionable painting were described by University Vice Chancellor Manoj Soni as:
He has stated that "My aim is to show the purity, truth and reality in human beings using the images of god and goddesses." There was no attack on Chandramohan, nor were his paintings destroyed. There was no vandalism, although it was widely claimed. Chandramohan was arrested and later released on May 14.
Throughout the controversy the Indian art community rallied to Chandramohan’s cause, claiming that the closing of the exhibition and his arrest was a direct assault of the rights of freedom of expression. Students and artists held protests nationwide. A group of students and artists at MSU Baroda sought to stage a protest demonstration at the Faculty of Fine Arts by organizing an exhibition of photographs taken from the classical and explicitly erotic sculptures that adorn the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh. When news of this protest exhibition was released, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Shivaji Panikkar, was asked to prohibit it. Dean Panikkar refused, and was subsequently suspended indefinitely from the University.
The incident was widely reported in the national media as an attack by the Sangh Parivar
, in most cases with no mention of the Christian objection to the Jesus painting. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=235608, http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070011502, http://www.ibnlive.com/news/vhp-moral-brigade-trashes-exhibition/40154-3.html
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Education
In 2004 he completed his Bachelor of Fine ArtsBachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad is a university, primarily focused on engineering, located in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1965 as the Nagarjuna Sagar Engineering College, it was established as a university in 1972 by The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Act, 1972,...
(J.N.T.U.) in Hyderabad and pursued a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in Graphics at the Maharaja Sayajirao University (M.S.U.) in Baroda, Gujarat. He has received numerous important national and international awards for his work, including the 49th Lalit Kala Akademi National Exhibition award in 2006 for Remorse I and more recently first prize in the 2009 Bhopal Bienniale for Remorse VI.
Later work
Srilamanthula Chandramohan was at the center of a controversy regarding artwork that he exhibited at the Faculty of Fine ArtsFaculty of Fine Arts
The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals....
, MSU Baroda. At the time of the dispute he was a final year post-graduate student. Protests against artworks by Chandramohan began on May 9, 2007.
The paintings were part of an annual exam, however by tradition, the public was invited to view the paintings. Times of India (7 May 2007) and Gujarati daily Sandesh
Sandesh
Sandesh may refer to:*Sandesh - a particular kind of sweet *Sandesh , a children's magazine in West Bengal*Sandesh , a Gujarati newspaper...
(9 May 2007) mentioned that the works of art created by the students of the faculty as a part of their Annual Examination were open for public display on the 9th May 2007. Among the earliest to protest was the district superintendent of the Methodist Church in Baroda, Reverend Emmanuel Kant He said,
"Our religion is all about forgiving but there is a limit. I have passed on the word to the Roman Catholic associations and the Parish Association also. Their representatives and 20 other pastors will be here soon. We are also planning to take out a protest rally in the city to voice our concern."
He also flayed Chandramohan for being 'a vulgar and insensitive person who dared to portray Lord Jesus in an extremely objectionable manner'.
A group of irate Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, led by Niraj Jain, a Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) activist, accompanied by local police, also came into the exhibition venue. Jain, who had complained to the police about the allegedly blasphemous nature of the paintings, demanded the paintings be removed.
The two objectionable painting were described by University Vice Chancellor Manoj Soni as:
- "A huge Christian CrossChristian crossThe Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
where Lord Jesus Christ was shown with his penisPenisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
out on the Cross, his palms and feet hanging from the two sides and the bottom of the Cross, respectively. Semen was shown as dropping out of his penis into a real toilet commode placed beneath the Cross. The toilet contained fishes." However Fine Arts Faculty members claimed that liquid depicted is not semen but "body fluids". - "Another very large sized painting showed a woman in nude posture. A baby was shown as attempting to come out of the vaginaVaginaThe vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
of the woman. The picture depicted the woman trying to attack the baby with a Trishul. The painting had the words `Durga Mate' written at the bottom." The professors explained the painting as "Goddess DurgaDurgaFor the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
is enacting the crime of foeticide in order to call attention to the horror and violence of the act that amounts to murder in the very womb".
He has stated that "My aim is to show the purity, truth and reality in human beings using the images of god and goddesses." There was no attack on Chandramohan, nor were his paintings destroyed. There was no vandalism, although it was widely claimed. Chandramohan was arrested and later released on May 14.
Throughout the controversy the Indian art community rallied to Chandramohan’s cause, claiming that the closing of the exhibition and his arrest was a direct assault of the rights of freedom of expression. Students and artists held protests nationwide. A group of students and artists at MSU Baroda sought to stage a protest demonstration at the Faculty of Fine Arts by organizing an exhibition of photographs taken from the classical and explicitly erotic sculptures that adorn the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh. When news of this protest exhibition was released, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Shivaji Panikkar, was asked to prohibit it. Dean Panikkar refused, and was subsequently suspended indefinitely from the University.
The incident was widely reported in the national media as an attack by the Sangh Parivar
Sangh Parivar
The Sangh Parivar refers to the family of organisations of Hindu nationalists which have been started by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or are inspired by its ideas. The Sangh Parivar represents the Hindu nationalist movement. It includes the RSS and several dozen smaller...
, in most cases with no mention of the Christian objection to the Jesus painting. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=235608, http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070011502, http://www.ibnlive.com/news/vhp-moral-brigade-trashes-exhibition/40154-3.html