Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.07.2008, Qupperneq 26

26 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 09—2008
INTERVIEW By Steinunn JakoBSdÓttir — pHoto By gaS
“My work is modern, it’s funny but it’s also very
spiritual. It’s a play of many things blending,” says
South East Asian-American artist Namita Kapoor.
On July 5, she will open her first solo exhibition
in Iceland at Gallery Gel, located on the corner of
Klapparstígur and Hverfisgata. Entitled ‘Efferves-
cent Delights’, her exhibition features a collection
of recent paintings she describes as a hybrid of
Western media and Asian craft, ornaments and
symbolism.
Drawing from her South East Asian heritage
and growing up in America, her paintings are a
conjunction of famous Indian stories and iconog-
raphy mixed with modern commercialism. Henna
prints, religious symbols and sacred images are
pasted on the canvas and Indian fabrics layered
with different paint. The result is colourful pieces
that pop out.
Asia Meets America
Namita grew up in California but has visited In-
dia several times in the past years and says that
growing up with dual identities has influenced her
work. “I grew up in America with all these differ-
ent Indian stories and comic book images, but I
never really thought about them. In 2003, I had a
really spiritual trip to India. I was blown away by
Indian craft and Indian textile and started includ-
ing that in my work. On my trips to India I’ve col-
lected Indian imagery, textile and fabrics. All of
these things are integrated into the paintings.”
She’s also a dancer and has toured exten-
sively nationally and internationally with various
theatre and dance companies and says dance
also plays a big part in her artwork. “I’ve always
been dancing and painting but now I’m focusing
more on painting. Where dance comes into my
art is in the movement in the paintings. When you
watch them they’re exploding, twisting and turn-
ing. There’s a lot happening.” By cutting-and past-
ing images and mixing them she explains that the
stories, icons and myths become separate stories,
taken from the original ones. “The traditional sto-
ries become new fragmented concepts, which in
turn represents my identity: a fragmented tapestry
of deeply religious things.”
Asked if she is religious Namita replies: “I’m
very spiritual. I believe religion is following some-
thing religiously. But I believe that art and dance
and these mediums in which I express myself are
religion. I do them daily, it takes a lot of dedica-
tion, meditation and sacrifice.”
Religious Symbols in a Consumer Driven Culture
The way Western and Asian cultures can inter-
relate and influence one another is the subject
in one of Namita’s paintings, ‘Here Comes the
Sun’, on the Grapevine’s info cover. The painting
features two Buddhas meditating on top of the
Earth with cow-legs (the cow is a sacred Hindu
symbol), space rockets, French fries and astro-
nauts circling around them. “The Buddha repre-
sents the total enlightenment. The moon and stars
and sun act under him. At the same time, we see
cow-legs circulating the planet along with French
fries and astronauts. You can ask, is this a refer-
ence to the ultimate universe? Is this a reference
to global warming? Or is it a reference to the way
that while everything becomes smaller things are
at the same time exploding?”
Namita goes on to discuss how Western cul-
ture tends to borrow religious symbols and icons
to sell various products. “In America I’ve, for ex-
ample, seen Ganesha, this famous Hindu god that
represents the moving of obstacles, on a flip-flop.
People are buying these shoes with the god on it
and are attracted to it without necessarily know-
ing what it means.” In her art she questions how
these Indian images and religious symbols sur-
vive in a consumer driven culture, by for example
painting burger-mascot Ronald McDonald with
his hands in prayer like the Buddha. “The idea is
to take the spiritual icons and misconstrue them.
There is still an attraction to the initial image so
part of it is making a mockery of the images and
the other is asking for it's true meaning. Does this
change the image? Does it reinvent the image?
Do we think of something spiritual or something
strangely bizarre when we look at it? It is a play on
these different identities, which leaves the viewer
with room for a lot of questions.”
To set off the exhibition, there will be a week
of Indian events at Cafe Oliver on Laugavegur,
connected to the exhibition. It will open on July
5 with the exhibition at Gallerí Gel and an after-
party at Café Oliver. June 10 will see a sari fashion
show, Indian food and live drumming. Namita will
also offer Bollywood dance lessons and Henna
tattoos for free.
French Fries and Religious Symbols
Namita Kapoor exhibits a fusion of Western and Asian cultures
namita kapoor contemplates Her dual identities.
WHO
Namita Kapoor
WHERE
Exhibition at Gel Galleri on
Hverfisgata 37
WHEN
June 5 to 22
INfO
www.namitakapoor.com
tHe traditional StorieS BecoMe
neW FragMented conceptS,
WHicH in turn repreSentS My
identity: a FragMented tapeStry
oF deeply religiouS tHingS.
MuSIC
Since the Akureyri based publishing company
Kimi Records entered the fray of Icelandic pub-
lishers, the industry’s activity seems to have in-
creased a great deal. I haven’t gone through a
week over the last few months without hearing
about some Kimi-artist concert or Kimi-distribut-
ed-artist concert. That must count for something,
unless it’s only the fact that Kimi Records jerk off
their name in connection to concerts more severe-
ly than other labels; nevertheless, Kimi are throw-
ing this hot Summerjoy.
This is some kind of a tour with the Kimi artists
Benni Hemm Hemm, Borko, Morðingjar and Reyk-
javík!. The tour’s virgin concert will be in Stokkseyri
on the infamous Bastille Day, July 14. From there
they will head to the capital of the Westfjords,
Ísafjördur, and play at the House of Edinborough.
The tour continues to Kimi’s home base at Akureyri
and a lot of celebration is suspected, a bit of “Return
of the King” atmosphere. Then there is Húsavík,
LungA Art Festival in the East fjords, and finally be-
fore returning home to smoggy Reykjavík the posse
will visit upon Höfn í Hornafirði. The grand finale
will be held at NASA, July 23, where Kimi promises
some surprise numbers. All the concerts start at
9PM and the ticket is 1,000 ISK. More information at
www.kimirecords.net
Eistnaflug chief Stebbi Magg is desperately cling-
ing to the notion that the festival he spearheads
isn’t exclusively a metal festival. That the roster
includes rocks indie- and punk- as well. “Just look
at our line up. There are bands playing from every
corner of the Icelandic music scene, pretty much,
at least every corner that has a guitar in it,” he says
to me over the phone, and he is right. The line-up
for Eistnaflug 2008 is remarkably varied, and thor-
oughly exciting, and includes established punkers
like Innvortis playing alongside legendary doom-
metallers Sólstafir, grindcore hellions Forgarður
Helvítis and the Kings of Icelandic Metal them-
selves, HAM.
That doesn’t change the fact that the festival’s
name, Eistnaflug, literally translates to “Flight of
the Testes”. And that only metalheads would be
so adorably juvenile as to choose that as their
moniker (indie bands have no balls by definition,
and punkers are more into bodily fluids). So while
Eistnaflug isn’t a metal festival proper, it is most
definitely a festival in the spirit of METAL. And
that is the best spirit you can base a music festival
on, for The Spirit of Metal is a friendly, happy and
welcoming one.
“When we first did the festival, the people of
Neskaupstaður [the small East Fjord town that’s
been home to Eistnaflug from the beginning] were
really surprised when this huge crowd that looked
like it had been shat out by Satan himself turned
out so friendly and polite. But that’s metalheads
for you, they get out their aggression elsewhere
than with violence.”
Set to take place the weekend of July 10-13,
Eistnaflug 2008 features one of its most epic line-
ups in the festival’s four year history and is a must
stop on any rock-inclined traveller's schedule.
“Neskaupstaður is an hour's drive from Egilsstaðir,
and an eight hour drive from Reykjavík. It is one of
the most beautiful towns in the country, and the
festival is world class, even if you don’t know any
of the bands. So pay us a visit,” says Stebbi. Those
without transport should check out the car-pool
section of festival web-site www.eistnaflug.is or
the amazingly convenient www.samferda.net
Kimi Records’
Summerjoy
This Festival Is
Really Called
‘Flight of the
Testes”
By SigurÐur kJartan kriStinSSon
By Haukur S MagnúSSon