Wall Text:

Mechanicalized Mindlessness

 
In Mechanicalized Mindlessness, Shashank explores the concept of power as a dynamic force, passed from person to person and expressed through actions—particularly through the use of human hands. For Shashank, power is never absolute; it is something earned or inherited, always in motion. His work examines how power operates in society and how its expression often becomes mechanical, especially in ritualistic practices.

The piece critiques the ritual of Sandhyavandhanam, a Hindu practice tied to Brahminical traditions and the use of the sacred thread, or Janivara. This ritual, which Shashank grew up performing in his upper-caste Hindu family, involves repetitive hand gestures and body movements that, in his view, are symbolic performances of privilege. These rituals, often practiced without thought, reflect the historical and social power dynamics rooted in caste oppression.

Shashank reflects on his own experience of being required to participate in these rituals, which he came to see as robotic and empty. He eventually rejected this mechanical performativity, choosing instead to question and break away from these traditions. Through the use of 3D-printed plastic, a material that represents artificiality, Shashank externalizes and disembodies these rituals. The repetitive nature of both the 3D printing process and the rituals themselves becomes a metaphor for mindlessness, serving as a critique and rejection of Brahminical privilege

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Medium: Wall-mounted 3D Printed Hands of a woman and (disembodied) Janivara or the sacred thread of Hindu male Brahmins.

Exhibited at:

Artists United! India. Group show at Visthar, Bengaluru. MAR 2019

'Exist' Group show at Walkin Studios, Bengaluru. APR 2019