Vasantha Yogananthan
Afterlife (Signed)
Photographs and collages: Vasantha Yogananthan
Poem: Meena Kandasamy
Published by Chose Commune, 2020
Book size 24.5 x 30 cm
Pages 136 pages (40 shorter pages 20 x 30 cm)
80 images
Hardcover with tip-in
Languages English
ISBN: 979-10-96383-18-4
Afterlife is the sixth chapter of Vasantha Yogananthan's long-term project A Myth of Two Souls inspired by the epic tale The Ramayana. Drawing inspiration from the imagery associated with this myth and its pervasiveness in everyday Indian life, Vasantha Yogananthan has traced the legendary route from north to south India. A Myth of Two Souls is informed by the notion of a journey in time and space and offers a modern retelling of the tale.
Afterlife is centered around the bloody war between the army of Ravana and the army of Rama. As its title suggests, the chapter deals with death and reincarnation. With Rama's cruelty finally revealed, the series can be read as a visual exploration of one man's descent into the darkness of the soul. Although the pictures were shot in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu over two editions of Dussehra — the Indian festival celebrating the victory of good over evil — they do not document the festivities. They focus on the trance people try to reach night after night, as if during one week they were allowed to escape their bodies to become somebody else.
Back to his studio, Yogananthan did collages by several mixing pictures together to put the viewer in a state of disorientation. The Ramayana has been continuously rewritten and reinterpreted through time, and for Yogananthan's Afterlife has been retold by Indian writer Meena Kandasamy. Amma — the seventh and last chapter of A Myth of Two Souls — will be published next year and will mark the end of the project (2013-2021).
Afterlife is the sixth installment of Vasantha Yogananthan's long-term project, A Myth of Two Souls, which offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the Ramayana. Drawing inspiration from the iconography generated by the myth and its pervasiveness in Indian society, Vasantha Yogananthan traced the route taken by the heroes of the epic from north to south India.
Afterlife is centered around the deadly war between Rama's army and Ravana's. As its title suggests, this chapter raises questions about death and reincarnation. While the war will expose Rama's cruelty to all, the hero of the Ramayana is about to begin a long descent into hell. Although these images were taken in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu during two editions of Dussehra — the Indian festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil — they do not document the festivities. They give us an idea of the trance-like state that men and women are trying to achieve as, night after night, they gradually emerge from their physical envelope to change their identity.
Back in her studio, Vasantha Yogananthan has been making collages by mixing several photographs. The Ramayana has been rewritten and reinterpreted throughout the ages, and for Afterlife, poet Meena Kandasamy offers a new reading of it. Amma — the seventh and final chapter of the A Myth of Two Souls project — will be published next year and will mark the end of the project (2013-2021).