Spotlight on Mahula Ghosh

Many of Ghosh’s works appear deceptively serene from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, one sees depictions of war and terrorism, destruction and chaos. Tanks and war machines, automobiles broken by bombs and the silent faces of witnesses all express a world where car bombings and death has become the day-to-day backdrop for many as they go about their lives. As newspaper articles and news programs bombard us with images of war, terrorism and torture, there is poignancy in seeing these topics represented in acrylic, watercolor and gauche. Works with titles such as ‘Stain,’ ‘Burn,’ and ‘Wounds’ present an abstract representation of what for so many have become commonplace, and give homage to their experience.

“View from Distance” and “ Eyewitness” traces the trail of bloodshed in the Northern states of Jammu and Kashmir. Places like Pahelgaon and Gulmarg, once considered heaven on earth, are under constant turmoil both socially and politically. Culled from theatres of war, women and children endeavor to make sense of the apparently senseless bloodletting as they as they see it through the window.