SYMBOLIC
AT
SUPPER

SYMBOLIC AT SUPPER

‘The Final Feast’ is a referential interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ by artist Vibha Galhotra. It is an allegorical presentation of contemporary times, the latter increasingly plagued by social, political, economic, and especially ecological chaos. We spoke to the creator of the piece and the participants who took part in this photographic dramatization that takes off from the ‘Last Supper’ to address the greed and power play of certain sections of humanity. One which has led to a ‘new hunger of the colonizer,’ Mars and the Moon become the ‘next destination’ for the privileged to ‘colonize’.

Vibha Galhotra conceived ‘The Final Feast’ work for the Asia Triennale in New York.

According to Vibha, ‘The Final Feast’ is part of her exploration ‘Life on Mars’ series, which looks at climate change.The work demonstrates how human greed has taken over the world, leaving it in shreds and pieces, just like the world-shaped cake that is cut, eaten and forgotten. The work talks about the sheer capitalism and lust for economic growth and wealth, whether on an individual plane or country level, that has led to choices and decisions, where the organism of the Earth are being repeatedly sacrificed, and nature has been brought to a level, wherein some parts of the world it can no longer nurture.

“While it is known that there are a few ambassadors like government leaders who make decisions for most of the world’s people, there is another theory that roots for a New World Order wherein a so-called power elite make decisions almost like a totalitarian world order, controlling the affairs of the population of the planet altogether, rather than that of individual nation-states.”

-Vibha Galhotra

Whether the latter is true or not remains unknown; however, the fate of the world, at least concerning the environment, seems to be a collective outcome, albeit one that is severely lacking.

In ‘The Last Feast,’ Shalini Passi  played the role of a feminine interpretation of Jesus, hosting the dinner for his Apostles.

“It was an incredible experience working with the artist Vibha on this satirical photo series which is so apt to the times today. The last supper is symbolic in terms of how the world is only interested in their self-indulgence and not looking at the larger picture. The important and the powerful people in society are only looking at their slice of cake unbothered of the effect it would have on others. Once they’re done with their planning, the last picture depicts that they’re now moving to Mars. In hindsight, it’s almost spooky the way it seems to be predicted way ahead!”

-Shalini Passi

According to Ina Puri, Religious art is abstract and symbolic. Vibha’s work is a satirical presentation of contemporary times, the chaos and class divide, that rules our societies. She contemplates as a writer and historian who has witnessed so much Modern and Contemporary art by stating that the the concept of the ‘Last Supper’ has been explored many times by leading exponents of Indian art, like M F Husain, Souza, Krishen Khanna to name a few; Vibha where else showcases how reality and art mingles and flirts with each other.

“It had been a chilly December night and the unfinished concrete interiors were bleak and unwelcoming. In the midst of this space however, there was a long table laid out with glittering goblets of wine, with trays of tropical fruits and condiments, all lit by sparkling lamps that shone bright.

We were a group of people who mostly knew each other, drawn from similar fields of art and culture. It was fantastic to dress up in elaborate costumes and get into our roles as Vibha had us instructed to. We weren’t told much else, earlier, it was all very mysterious. We laughed & chatted, sipped our cups of hot tea and gossiped, eager to find out more about the project. In the shadows, assistants set up lights and camera-stands.

The intellectual elite she had invited was a wicked touch! Looking back to that experience, it was strangely prescient. We were on the cusp of the pandemic and the world order was about to crash. It was ironically ‘The Last Feast’.

I am excited at the prospect of travelling the exhibition later to Kolkata, eager to see what the viewers make of this fascinating project where we were playing parts or maybe just being ourselves?”

-Ina Puri

Peter Nagy, director of Nature Morte that represents Galhotra says he was first ‘innocent’ about the project.

“I didn’t really know what the project was when I accepted the invitation to participate, and learned the identities of the other participants only when I arrived at the site. It was a freezing cold night and we were there for at least three hours. Luckily, Vibha took good care of us and the entire thing was so bizarre it turned out to be a lot of fun,” he confirms.

Nagy also shares that the participants are not supposed to be so closely matched with the Apostles.

“From what I understood, it was more of a Hunger Games scenario, and we were to portray the fat cats who had destroyed the planet with greed and were about to blast off into a future perfect in outer space. Vibha asked me to smoke a cigar, so I think in her mind I was the Evil Businessman (pun intended?)” says Nagy humorously.

The work is currently on display in New York. “Vibha wanted to show the work in Delhi but I don’t think it will work in Delhi because most of the participants are rather well-known characters in Delhi and it will take on an entirely different meaning. For it to be successful, I think the characters need to be anonymous individuals so that they personify certain types of cliches. It will be very interesting to learn about the response the work garners in NY.”

Sadly, “We’re certainly not Post Pandemic yet! I honestly don’t know if we will ever be Post Pandemic in our lifetimes (well, the rest of my lifetime). We’re certainly not going to be Post Climate Change,” says Nagy.

-Peter Nagy