Appupen’s fourth graphic novel ‘The Snake and the Lotus’ set in the fictional world of Halahala, is a quiet reminder of a dark reality, one that is as scarily familiar as it is unfamiliar
The first thing I notice about Appupen’s The Snake and the Lotus is that there are no page numbers in this graphic novel. This, to me, is threatening. It indicates a lack of order, a deliberate attempt to make me let go of usual structures and expectations, the absence of footholds in this universe I am about to explore. I sense that the moment I jump in, I will be sucked into a swirling vortex of lines and strokes, of ominous words and unsettling realities. I look back at the world behind me. Five…four…three… two…one. And then I jump.
Halahala is a dimension parallel to our own, occupying another place in the spectrum of space and time. In The Snake and the Lotus, Appupen’s fourth graphic novel set in this mythical universe, Halahala is a shrivelled version of the human race – one that is controlled by machines, feeds purely on lotus milk for sustenance, and knows neither physical pleasure nor emotional connection in its fullest sense. They occupy the White City and are segregated into roles and ranks: the Greyfolk look aspirationally to the White
Towers, the abode of the Godlings, who in turn, seek to please their Leaders in the White Temple. The higher their place in the White City, the more cut off they appear to be from their original nature. It is a delusional, dreary and dark existence that threatens to become the new order.
Denne historien er fra June - July 2018-utgaven av Arts Illustrated.
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Denne historien er fra June - July 2018-utgaven av Arts Illustrated.
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A Sky Full Of Thoughts
Artist James Turrell’s ‘Twilight Epiphany Skyspace’ brings together the many nuances of architecture, time, space, light and music in a profound experience that blurs boundaries and lets one roam free within their own minds
We Are Looking into It
Swiss-based artists Jojakim Cortis and Adrian Sonderegger talk to us about the evolving meaning and purpose of photography and the many perspectives it lends to history
Cracked Wide Open
Building one of the world’s largest domes was no mean task for anyone, let alone an amateur goldsmith, so how did Filippo Brunelleschi accomplish building not one, but two of them?
In Search of a Witness
In conversation with legendary artist Arpana Caur on all things epiphanic, on all things pandemic, and on all things artistic
Where the Shadows Speak
The founder of Sarmaya Arts Foundation takes us through the bylanes of his journey with Sindhe Chidambara Rao, the custodian of the ancient art form of shadow puppetry – Tholu Bommalata
Bodies in Motion
What happens to the memory of a revelatory experience when it is re-watched through the frames of a screen? It somehow makes the edges sharper and the focal point clearer, as we discover through Chandralekha’s iconic Sharira
Faces in the Water
As physical ‘masks’ become part of our life, we take a look at artists working with different aspects of ‘faces’ and the things that lurk beneath the surface.
A Meeting at the Threshold
The immortal actor exemplified all that is admirable about his profession, from his creative choices to his work philosophy, and his passing was a low blow. This is our tribute to the prince among stars – Irrfan
The Imperfect Layout To The Imperfect Mystery
Jane De Suza’s ‘The Spy Who Lost Her Head’ doesn’t feature a protagonist with superhuman skills of deduction, nor a plot that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. Here, quirks and imperfections are pushed into the spotlight
Free and Flawed
Greta Gerwig revitalises the literary classic, Little Women, highlighting the literary journey of its temperamental and wonderfully flawed female protagonist, Jo March