Toy story: Where history meets the new

Madhu, the Channapatna toy maker, operates out of a small studio here in Bengaluru. And when young German artist George Demir first sought him out, it was with a most unusual request. Monuments, an exhibition of work by George Demir, which opens at 1 Shanthi Road this evening, brings history together with the contemporary, allowing for new narratives to find space in traditional craft. Demir, the 26-year-old artist in residence at 1 Shanthi Road, in collaboration with the Goethe Institut, began his work with conversations. "Are people under-represented? If so, why do they feel this way? Are there fragments of their personalities that don't get the room they deserve in mainstream discourse?"

To Demir, this meant more than pointing out to people that they might not be represented as much as they wish - "The conversations all ran into several hours, I was very vulnerable and so were they." Racial discrimination, sexuality, gender identity and lifestyles - Demir found himself with a multitude of stories. "Of course, I don't want to just reduce them to stories. It's about the experience, the intimacy of the situation. I wanted them to open up and feel safe." 

He started out at 1 Shanthi Road, meeting with people who dropped by the gallery and allowing word to spread. He made sketches based on the photographs they sent, which he gave to his craftsman, Madhu. "The dolls represent the people I met and the stories they told me." This meant a big leap from tradition, one that Madhu took with a good deal of excitement. "I was unsure of how he would react, I did anticipate that finding a craftsman would be challenging. He took to the idea, though and even keeps me posted with photographs of his progress." 

Channapatna toys date back to the reign of Tipu Sultan, who invited artisans from Persia to train local artisans in the art of making wooden toys. Traditionally made from ivory wood (the craft has diversified since to include rubber, sycamore and teak), the brightly coloured toys tell stories of local culture and legends. "I went with different requirements, one of the people I interviewed, for instance, has big, curly hair, which you don't really see in these dolls." In the end, they used actual human hair for authenticity. 

"I'm interested in the idea of using history to understand the things that affect us today," said Demir. "I read widely, from social studies and anthropology to art history but none of these subjects can be seen in isolation. On the other hand, I'm fascinated by the relationships human beings have with images." 

What: Monuments by George Demir
When: Begins on Oct. 27,  6 pm
Where: 1 Shanthi Road at 1 Shanthi Road