Homage to men in uniform

Soldiers have the highest commitment to service,” says public installation artist Gopal Namjoshi, referring to his recent installation titled ‘Amar Sipahi – The Immortal Soldier’ at the central atrium at Select City Walk Mall, Saket.

On the occasion of the 17th Kargil Diwas (July 26), Namjoshi paid tribute to the 500 martyrs of Kargil War by developing a 22-foot structure of an army man offering his last salute to a martyred soldier. “Though this was designed in lieu of the Kargil Day celebration, it is also paying homage to soldiers across nations,” mentions the 55-year-old.

As an internationally acclaimed artist, Namjoshi has explored the realm of public art installations by using materials like metal junk, steel and sweet boxes. He believes that beauty of a design lies in its simplicity and also in the way it engages the viewer, more so in a public place.

“Artwork displayed at a public place has its own meaning but there are some limitations as well. You can’t display a very complicated concept. Often an art piece has a intellectual aspect to it, which cannot be understood easily. So, that is why I choose simple topics that do not need much explanation,” he tells Metrolife.

 It took him a month-and-a-half to design the concept at his Gurgaon atelier and 45 days to give it structure. The tall structure made of steel weighs close to 1, 000 kgs.

“The body of the soldier is not proportionate. The chest is broad to depict the “buland seena” of a soldier. While I have presented them four times taller than a normal person because of their invaluable contribution, I have kept their legs small because they don’t get much even after death. I believe they are the actual leaders and our pride. So I have changed the entire proportion for them,” describes Namjoshi, whose works are installed at several private and public collections in India and abroad, including the Taj Gateway Resorts, Nehru Centre Mumbai and Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

Talking about the idea and inspiration behind his current work, the artist says, “Firstly, like in Bhagavadgita, I strongly believe that the soul can’t die. I have tried to communicate this through the metaphor of an army man’s life. Secondly, I have spoken to a lot of my friends from the armed forces and they tell me that no bullet can kill the spirit of a soldier. If you hold a normal person at gun point, he may run for his life. But an army man already knows that he is bound to die and is still ready for the inevitable. That spirit is what I wanted to highlight.”

Since the use of original bullet shells in the installation was not permitted, Namjoshi casted 80,000 golden bullets out of plastic. “I wanted to do something with bullets because they can be a symbol of an interruption to the continuity of life, a saviour to many or a fear-inducing image to the family who lost their son, brother, father or friend, but indeed it’s a destroyer of life,” he says.

However, on the controversies involving army atrocities in Kashmir and Northeast, Namjoshi mentions, “I’m not defending the army atrocities. But somewhere it is a matter of frustration and system failure. Despite that, they display bravery in the toughest of times and that can’t be denied.”