Afterlife

Afterlife by Vasantha Yogananthan. First edition (2020). First impression. Large format hardback in new condition. Signed by Vasantha Yogananthan to a dedicated sticker tipped to front end page. No markings. This is a new book. Please see pictures. PayPal accepted, any questions please get in touch.

About

So, Afterlife is the sixth chapter of Myth of Two Souls. This is Vasantha Yogananthan’s long-term project inspired by the epic tale The Ramayana. Vasantha Yogananthan has drawn inspiration from the imagery associated with this myth and its pervasiveness in everyday Indian life. Thus, he has retraced the legendary route from north to south India. Furthermore, 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 centred around the bloody war between the army of Ravana and the army of Rama. Moreover, 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. The pictures were shot in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu over two editions of Dussehra. Which is the Indian festival celebrating the victory of good over evil. However, the images do not document the festivities. In fact, 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 mixing several pictures together. His aim was 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.