Beauty and the Beast

Rajul studied art at the University of Bombay and continued her studies at Beit Berl in Israel. Having been settled in Israel for more than 15 years, turning back to India where she grew up, she felt a familiarity in taste but a difference in its flavor.

Traditional Indian symbols like the aambi, sathiya, bindu that were strong cultural, spiritual and traditional symbols are now becoming rare and are competing with symbols of brands like Fendi, Gucci, LV or Burberrys, etc. These symbols are a part of a cultural colonialism that is now enveloping the entire world including India. The traditional symbols have merely become objects that are exotic and authentic, mainly attracting tourists and being a topic of discussion among the elite.

Arthur Miller in his play The Price quotes “Once people used to go to Church on Sundays… today they go shopping.” The brands are the icons of the new culture; they are the representations of the aspirations of the young generation and the status symbol for the GenX. These iconic symbols have become so significant in certain cultures that they are powerful enough to create barriers between societies and at times even getting them closer to each other.

The issue Rajul Mehta deals with in her present show is “Who is the Beast?; Are we the beast who are creating the brands or are brands the beast that we are running after?” India has recently been declared as a country with a big buying capacity, overlooking the gap between the have’s and the have not’s. There is an obvious disparity between the rich and the poor. The advent of foreign brands is a must for globalization, but it is up to us how much power we give these brands to influence our lives.

Rajul Mehta has used majestic beasts like Leopards, Lions, and Cats as symbols. The Leopardess wearing Gucci glasses and another beast with a Hermes collar resting on her neck appear heroic, powerful and esteemed allegorical figures. Her painting raises the question of values attributed to new brands and the issue of status; she is referring mainly to the woman, who loves to live in the world of symbols, whether it is a crimson bindu or an LV monogram resting on her face.