Mother of Pearl Inlay In Green Marble

  Tiles Heat Press Print / Brass inlay

K. Asif’s masterpiece Moghul-E-Azam, till date is considered to be the magnum opus of Indian cinema. In this fictional “Love and war” drama, Asif tries to unveil the socio-political and economic issues that remains hidden behind the backdrop of the glory and grandeur of our society and culture. His works also have keen eyes on such issues. How politics and economy play each other and become instruments to establish the hierarchies of power and wealth have always fascinates the artist. For the representation of hierarchies, both politico-economic and social, the artist used the imagery of a chess board game on which he placed the images culled from the Moghul-E-Azam movie that are altered, arranged, re-arranged and composed into complex and layered patterns. His works remain deeply inspired by Indo-Islamic architectural decoration such as Parchinkari (stone inlay work), Kashikari (glazed color tiles), Chikankari (low reliefs in marble) and Jali (intricate lattice work in soft stones) and he had spent considerable energy in mastering some of these techniques. On the face of it, he is sticking to the established principles of composition operative within these traditions. This colorful approach of decoration and ornamentation, grabs the attention of the spectator and then one is invited for a closer look. It is here that the subversion and the subterfuge that the artist blends in effortlessly and comes to play