Situated at the heart of Doha’s Katara Cultural Village, Subodh Gupta’s take on Gandhi’s Three Monkeys is a powerful statement about war and peace, that utilizes kitchen utensils and kitchenware to create busts of a terrorist, a soldier wearing a helmet and sunglasses and a person wearing a gas mask.
Gupta’s style is multifaceted, with painting, sculpture, video and performance art under his belt. A recurring theme is using objects from daily life, such as utensils, bikes and cabs from his home country India, and transforms these mundane objects into a powerful and provocative message.
Gupta’s version of Gandhi’s “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” takes on a modern twist today, with the rise of terrorism, military interventions and even chemical and biological warfare in the region and across the world.
Visitors walking between exhibitions, restaurants or even the Katara beach club and theater, are reminded that despite the idyllic setting of the cultural village, war and peace are in a constant struggle around the world.
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