Members Edit: THE KALI

25 Sep - 7 Nov
6 - 8pm
Members Edit

Kali -Marilyn (I-IX), Image Courtesy of The Art House, Wakefield.

The Kali, our third Members Edit, showcases work by Manish Harijan. His work is a bold fusion of Eastern religious iconography and Western pop culture. In Kali-Marilyn (I-IX), Harijan fuses together Andy Warhol’s iconic image Marilyn Monroe and the Hindu goddess Kali to explore the power of iconography and womanhood. The eye, that third eye, disorients in the fusion of two familiar faces: Marilyn and Kali, both women who have been elevated to the image of goddesses. Blond hair with black, fair skin with dark, glamour with tradition, and the tongue used by one to connote seduction, the other to show ferocity. ⁠
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Harijan's portrayal of the fusing of two popular females asks the viewer to reflect upon the notion of appearances and the contexts of their immortalisation. These two women are often looked upon as different and separate. This painting breaks down social barriers by questioning our prejudices to inject the idea that we have more similarities than differences. It is only when we look beyond appearances and see ourselves reflected in the other that we gain insight—symbolised by the third eye—into who we really are as people. ⁠

*Members Edit is ⁠an initiative that launches alongside a main exhibition at Bloc Projects, where limited and special edition works by artists within our Membership are presented and sold in our reception space. ⁠
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Manish Harijan is a Nepal-born artist who lives in London and New York. As the son of a shoemaker from Nepal’s historically marginalised Dalit community, Harijan draws on personal experiences to inform his work. He is an award winning artist on New Art Exchange open 2023 in the UK. Through his art, Harijan questions the injustices inflicted upon minorities and explores the lived experiences of vulnerable populations. His work traverses the east and the west, casting iconic images from religion to pop culture, smoothly embedding them in one canvas to create bold and thought-provoking paintings.