Art Dubai 2017
BREAD CIRCUSES & YOU

The history of civilisation can be told through the story of grain. Bread, and its many variants, speak a universal language. The history of politics is also deeply entwined with this foodstuff and, in particular, its distribution. Indeed, contemporary societies around the world are fed, literally and metaphorically, by state-run policies.

The project title comes from, ‘panem et circuses’, making an explicit reference to the two Roman practices of exerting politics power: providing free wheat and hosting spectacular games. In 2017, the site of entertainment may not be the circus, but there remain higher authorities curating bloated orgies of entertainment at regular intervals.

‘Bread and Circuses’ is conceived as a response.

Thukral & Tagra

Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra work collaboratively in a wide variety of media including painting, sculpture, installation, and design.

Thukral & Tagra blur the lines between Fine Art and Popular Culture, product and exhibition design, artistic inspiration and media hype. While both playful and humorous, their works express thoughtful questions on the globalisation of consumer culture and the repercussions of this as it is being experienced in South Asia today. The artists live and work in Gurgaon, Haryana (a suburb of New Delhi).