About the work

In 1992, the Barbri Mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed by religious extremists. This action heralded the beginning of a wave of religious violence in contemporary India. The violence, particularly between Hindus and Muslims, disrupted the harmony of democracy that Indians had worked towards since their independence in 1947. It signalled that the struggle for communal peace was far from over. N.N. Rimzon has made many works that focus on the human dimension of this upheaval.

In House of heavens, Rimzon uses a personal set of motifs to comment on contemporary life in India. Images that frequently appear include, the egg - a symbol of fertility and the continuity of life; the house - signifying personal and sacred protection; and the sword - representing the intrusion of violence into many aspects of personal and communal life.

The use of narrative composition has a long tradition in Indian art. However, rather than telling a story, Rimzon uses his personal language to construct works with a narrative suggestion. Through the combination of various groups of images, he skilfully uses the power of the metaphor to comment on important social issues.

Although figures appear to be absent in Rimzon's works, there is always a suggestion of human involvement or consequence in his compositions. For Rimzon, the image of an object such as a sword is not only symbolic of violence but also representative of a more personal threat - the threat to communal and family harmony.

About the artist

In 1986 Rimzon exhibited an installation at the 'Sixth Triennale International' in New Delhi, at a time when installation was not really accepted in Indian art circles. Rimzon continues to work in sculpture and drawing. His drawings complement larger sculptures and installations, but should also be seen as individual explorations of the artist's overall concerns. The works in this exhibition were shown at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1996 as part of the 'Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art'.

Other lines to follow for N.N. Rimzon

'At the moment, though the national creed is one of nonviolence, in thought and word at least we seem to be drifting towards violence.'

The Words of Gandhi, sel. Richard Attenborough, New Market Press, New York, 1982, p.91.

'In nature there is fundamental unity running through all the diversity we see about us. Religions are given to mankind so as to accelerate the process of realisation of fundamental unity'.

MK Gandhi website http://www.cbu.edu/Gandhi

'Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.'

Ranka group webpage - India page http://www.ranka.com/indiapgfr.html

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