Amar Kanwar – Evidence
Two pivotal events in 1984 impacted Amar Kanwar’s early years as a student. One was the orchestrated killings of Sikhs in Delhi after Indira Gandhi’s assassination on 31 October 1984. The other was the Bhopal disaster on 3 December of the same year, when toxic gas escaped from a pesticide plant owned by the American company Union Carbide, killing several thousand people and injuring hundreds of thousands more.
In his films, Amar Kanwar (*1964) addresses social, political and societal issues surrounding the Indian subcontinent, the conflict between India and Pakistan, the abuse and rape of women, and the struggle for democracy. His videos examine social and economic inequalities as he moves through conflict zones, documenting arenas of power, violence, and the abuse of nature. To this he contrasts the courage of the individual, the strength of groups, and the energy of poetry. Every main theme is entangled in side themes, augmented by simple yet significant side stages, dissected, and repeatedly questioned. His intense films reveal his search for profound certainties of life, of society, of experience – persisting “evidence” which is encountered and felt.
In 2012 Amar Kanwar participated in documenta for the third consecutive year. The exhibition at Fotomuseum Winterthur, curated by Urs Stahel, presents his major video works, installed throughout seven rooms.
Main sponsor: George Foundation