In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, moksh means salvation. Since most of us won’t get to moksh in this lifetime, we can get a glimpse of it. A mokshashot (by the artists’ own definition) is a taste of the sublime. “Everyone can make their own mokshashot out of anything they find fulfilling…art, chocolate, a holiday, a smile, a Ferrari or a tequila shot!”
This series of paintings uses satirical humour to comment on social and cultural practices prevalent in today’s times. It examines the internal and external entities that strive to conquer the mind and influence it to fulfil their own agenda.
We live in a time when everything is sacred but nothing really is. We, Indians, love to venerate; we create God out of everything.
We then create the rituals and paraphernalia of worship which used to be prayer beads and shawls, now its t-shirts and apps. This mokshashots series mirrors this process. To satirise this penchant for veneration, jenny created deities called mokshapets.
Throughout history, faith and religion have been used as ways to conquer the mind. The methods of dissemination have changed over time, depending on changes in materials and technology, though the concept remains the same. Digital media and e-commerce have changed not only the way we consume, but also the way we relate and communicate with each other.
Jenny also explores the universal experiences of the individual’s attempt at a conquest of his or her own mind, grappling with memory, nostalgia, self-perception and self-analysis along with self-deception, if you will! The series provokes a closer look and change in perception, of the times we live in. The works are multi-layered, with irony and social and cultural references. They’re open to multiple readings and interpretations and unavoidable mis-interpretation.
