Under The Influence

Several states in India have imposed a prohibition policy to discourage the working class from consuming alcohol. The intention is to control crime, to improve the safety of women and to ensure men use their earnings towards the welfare of their families. What happens when we are intoxicated? I created this series in an attempt to explore those inhibited feelings we yearn to bring to the fore in our state of oblivion. I asked each individual why do they like to drink? Their responses are the captions. Through the diptychs I attempt to capture landscapes that reflect their inebriated state of mind. Rgveda 8.48.3: We have drunk soma ; we have become free from death. We have attained the light; we have been found to the gods! What now can joylessness do to us? What truly, can the evil of mortality do? O you who are free from death? ------ The carpet symbolises the confines within one's head. The blur symbolises an intoxicated state of mind and the colors symbolise a fantastical view of the world when one is high on alcohol.