Fakir and Friends
Name/Title
Fakir and FriendsEntry/Object ID
FAC-2016-00002Description
Aujla’s Fakir and Friends uses an archival image by Frank Carpenter entitled Fakir and Monkeys, part of the collection of the US Library of Congress. Aujla reimagines Carpenter's Orientalist image by layering highly saturated colours to contemporize the image, and to bring contrast between the brightly coloured foreground subjects and the antiqued Indian banknotes in the background. In Arabic, the word fakir is loosely translated into “poor man”, as they were ascetics who renounced all worldly possessions. Popular characterizations of fakirs have strayed from the original definition, and they became thought of as beggars or swindlers. These street performers were popular subjects for the Western orientalist lens fascinated with “The Far East”.Artwork Details
Medium
Digital CollageCollection
Faculty CollectionCategory
Print