Rushi Mehta

Batman Uprooting the Parijata Tree

What if modern-day superheroes were in the ancient India.

“This artwork takes a critical view on racial and cultural identity. As an immigrant from India, I have been exposed to both eastern and western cultures. Growing up I have always been fascinated by Hindu Mythology and, I have also watched cartoons such as Batman and Justice League. With their stories, they both have influenced me greatly growing up and giving life lessons. The modern-day superheroes are not too different from the ancient Hindu gods. Which always lead me to think “why don’t all these Hindu gods, look as cool as Batman or Superman?”. What I want to do is, bring the ancient Hindu gods in the spot light of the modern world, and be relatable to today’s real-world issues.Just as Julius Poncelet Manapul questions race, gender and sexual identity, in “Kissing Utopia Good-Bye” (2012), and tackle the desires for belonging in a dominant and normative world. He stages his own fictional world, by appropriating the western visual culture, while juxtaposing Filipino materiality, in “Through the Looking Glass: Inside My Domestic Portrait” (2013). With this artwork I want to explore the idea of, what if the modern-day superheroes were imagined in the ancient India. Using Photoshop to digitally manipulate the Hindu manuscript and blend the two timelines together. I considered using the old DC comics character, because it had this primitive style that closely matched the Hindu manuscript. Which explores the contrast between the old and the new, to bring the ancient Hindu mythology into a modern style and bring it into the mainstream.”