Bepen Bhana (1971–2023) was an Indian-New Zealand visual artist and graphic designer, known for his photorealistic painting and examination of cultural appropriation in mass media.
Bepen Bhana | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 2023 Auckland |
| Alma mater | Elam School of Fine Arts |
| Known for | Photorealistic painting |
| Notable work | The Curry Bunch, Boom! Boom! Deluxe, Frankie Goes to Bollywood |
Biography
editBhana was born in Auckland in 1971, his father having migrated to New Zealand in 1949. At home the family spoke Gujarati and decorated the house with Hindu deities, and Bhana learned English by watching television.[1]
He studied at Elam School of Fine Arts gaining a doctorate, and taught at Manukau Institute of Technology and Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design.[2]
In 2016 Bhana held the Parehuia McCahon House Artists' Residency,[3] where he created the works in his Frankie goes to Bollywood series.[1]
He died in Auckland in 2023 at age 51[4][5] while working on a second doctorate studying Sajid Khan.[1]
Art practice
editBhana's work used humorous references to popular, often nostalgic, culture to explore exoticisation and commodification of South Asian aesthetics and traditions.[2][6]
Figures represented in his work included Basil Brush in 2012's Boom! Boom! Deluxe and The Brady Bunch in 2016's The Curry Bunch.[2] Bhana responded to Beyoncé's appropriation of Hindi bridal fashion in Coldplay's video for "Hymn for the weekend" with the exhibition Hey Bey.[7]
Postcards from the edge (2013) and Frankie goes to Bollywood (2016) used the techniques and subjects of Bollywood painted billboard advertising, combining them with New Zealand landscapes, first at postcard size[8] and then as large-scale diptychs.
In Frankie goes to Bollywood the paintings have titles in Te Reo Māori and Hindi, avoiding English and prioritising audiences familiar with the actors or landscapes depicted.[9] Balamohan Shingade suggests that the paintings push past the goal of representation in Western media, instead showing that "Indians already set their own standards and ideals, and inspire their own audiences".[10] Ruth De Souza describes them as a necessary interrogation of the neoliberal Tourism New Zealand depiction of India.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Lekamge, Dilohana (24 August 2023). ""They were fascinated by my ferocity": Remembering Bepen Bhana". Art Now NZ. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ a b c "Bepen Bhana". Satellites. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Bepen Bhana". McCahon House. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Bepen Bhana Obituary". NZ Herald. 17 April 2023. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ "Bhana, Bepen". Find New Zealand Artists. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Lekamge, Dilohana. "Representation and humour in South Asian Aotearoa art". Extended Conversations. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Shingade, Balamohan. "5 New Zealand artists you need to know". Home Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ a b De Souza, Ruth (13 May 2013). "Postcards from the edge". Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Hurrell, John (27 March 2016). "Panoramically and Chromatically Overpowering Bhana". EyeContact. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ^ Shingade, Balamohan (7 June 2016). "Repositioning the centre: Bepen Bhana's "Frankie goes to Bollywood"". Pantograph Punch. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.