BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM Painting

But Who Do You Say That I Am centres around the notion of the existence of an inherent sense of the individual to discover a reality greater than himself to connect to. On a plane higher than the mundane, man may indeed feel the need to reunite with a whole, a whole variably represented through the ages by Nature, the Universe, God etc. While this process may be believed to be the province of religion alone, the painting looks into more 'earthly' channels through which that connection is found, appreciating that contemporary life is shaped by the cultural scenario we inhabits, one largely influenced by the media among other factors. Such a land is populated by freshly concocted myths and archetypes which contemporary society has come to relate to, if not believe in. Different rituals are performed, but the transfixing power of the new idols and the ensuing adoration for them seem to remain the same as with their religious counterparts. Here, on a raised plateau of concrete clouds, we see the ultimate shaman. The many around him form a veritable spectrum of society. The law-enforcer, the media circus, the groupies, the men-in-the-streets, the selfie-mob. They have all come here to witness this ambiguous appearance and react to it differently: some with anger, others ecstaticly, others still sensing danger. Half man, half Mona Lisa, art is his tongue and with his speech he mesmerises the gathered. This shaman of shamans has celebrity status, in his mystery, he can be anything they want for their vicarious pleasure. Who is he really, they wonder. Sphinx style, he replies with the same question "But Who Do You Say That I Am ?"