SILLY TIMES

GOD, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

Why I call it “Silly Times”, for the simple reason being in a time and era which compels me to keep my logic and sanity in a safe locker or in a secret treasure hole. I even call it the “DIVINE TAMASHA” played by mortals. Silliness is so common these days; it has become a norm. We humans are dealing with some many emotional situations, internal turmoil’s, political nonsense, social uprisings, economic insecurity, terrorism, war, the never ending quest for success and glorification of our egos. The list is endless. Silliness is binding us all like a common human bond.Silliness is now taking the cult position in our society. Silliness permeates from every breath of our existence. Killing people in the name of caste and religion, killing for the sake of saving honour, kill someone for his skin colour, hate someone for his achievements, ban the food you don’t like and the list goes on and on. We create immense space for our silliness. Mankind now thrives on silly acts. Our ideas are growing out of silly argumentative paradigms. Silliness sometimes find place among the curious among us. But to be curious is more to do with discovering the unknown and not to produce hatred or animosity among humans. The general attitude now, towards silliness is a very comfortable, taken-for-granted acceptability.

SING MY SONG, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

JOKE NOW, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

When you have to run away from accountability, you tend to hide under the garb of being silly. When watchful eyes and mind tend to react numb to silly acts amidst us, then the collective strength of humanity comes under questionable existence. Silliness is now touching insanely new heights. Silly acts of hatred and violence are engulfing the world from all sides. Can human race survive this onslaught of silly triumphs of falsehood of our journey in this world?

ASS, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

Why we aspire to act silly? Why we embrace silly attitudes of each other? Is the human mind now auto engaged to silliness around it? Is being silly help us to create an escape route from our challenges in life? Do acts of aggression, genocide and hatred create the perfect silly cocktail for zealots? Do our political masters intentionally serve us silly dreams? People, who trample upon others with silly acts, will always be punished by time. 

“MEN ARE NOT PUNISHED FOR THEIR SINS, BUT BY THEM” - Elbert Hubbard.

MASKED DIGNITY, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

Silly acts lead to chaos in this world. They ultimately grow out of their own limitations and create a bigger chaotic spectrum of absurdity. Chaos is ever more present in our world to direct our action towards new historical silliness. Being silly is reality of this age.

“CHAOS IS THE SCORE UPON WHICH REALITY IS WRITTEN” - Henry Miller.

PEACE WITH LOVE, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

All these drawing on paper are inspired primarily by silly incidents in our daily existence. These are my soul wrenching for some momentary visual interpretation of silly memories and the urge to them visually transferable to other sensible humans. The world full of silliness acts as a catalyst for these assembly of images. As an artist I might be the best example of silliness. I try to market obnoxious silly ideas through mere black and white drawings, with a very silly notion of honesty and justice. Knowing very well in the deepest corner of my heart, that the world will not accept this array of bitter reflection of itself. What I try to portray with this series of drawings is known to all. I am not trying to preach anything, but pushing my luck among the silliest among us. Can we accept silliness as acts of selfishness? “THE SELFISH MAN LOOKS INTO THE WORLD AS HE LOOKS INTO HIS MIRROR, ONLY TO SEE HIMSELF” – James Lendall Basford.

HIDE AND SEEK, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

What I offer here, are just momentary thoughts of change and analysis of our collective predicament. The black and white medium is a very brutal and honest way of transforming our rough and transitional world on paper. The lines are bold, so as to make the image more forceful and dominant. And in that way, the idea itself becomes stronger to reconcile for the viewer. This style is embraced to support the creative statement of the artist. 

One single visual is quite enough to make our consciousness more answerable and attentive towards the silly and nonsensical dilemmas of all humanity in this world.

SING IT, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

I RULE, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

DIVINE TAMASHA, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

RIDING THE CHAOS, pen and ink on paper by Soumen Bhowmick 2016

© Soumen Bhowmick, Aug 2016.