Man Eats Rock

Directors: Nikhil Chopra and Munir Kabani

February 14, 2011 | 6.30 pm
Little Theatre, National Center for Performing Arts, Mumbai

The art project, Man Eats Rock – a 22 minute film,  made by Nikhil Chopra and Munir Kabani, is an attempt to unearth simple and yet fundamental questions: who are we? Where have we come from and where are we going? The film is set in three worlds or is treated as three vignettes, the first resembling prehistory; the second 19th century decadent romanticism and the third a contemporary industrial urban world. In these worlds we will look at drawing and film as a means of record making to talk about the function of representation. The film also attempts to question our place on this planet, as we get subsumed by our need and desire to consume.

Nikhil Chopra’s (b. 1974) artistic practice encompasses live performance, drawing, installation, photography and theater. Nikhil gained his MFA from the Ohio State University in 2003.  On his return to India in 2005, the artist’s first live performance was at Kitab Mahal, Mumbai in December of that year (The Death of Sir Raja III). Having been invited for a number of workshops and residencies with Khoj both in Delhi and Kashmir, Nikhil undertook his major work with Chatterjee & Lal in November 2007. Since the beginning of 2008, Nikhil has performed at venues as varied as the Yokohama Triennale (Time Cravasse); The Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (Chalo! India); Serpentine Gallery, London and Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo (Indian Highway); Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels; Venice Biennale (Making Worlds); Manchester International Festival 09, (Marina Abramovic presents…); Performa 09, New Museum, New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Production Site the Artist’s Studio Inside-Out). He lives and works in Mumbai.

Munir Kabani (b 1976) earned his Bachelor of Commerce from Mumbai University in 1997. He studied towards a diploma in Cinematography and Film Theory from University Of California Los Angeles in 1999. Kabani had his first solo show, Urbanium Mundanius at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai, 2006. He has contributed to several group shows and collaborative projects including Postvisual World – curated by Gitanjali Dang, Mumbai – 2008, Stop Look Go in Carnoule, France – 2007. He has photographed What will I do with all this land? and Sir Raja III, a live performance installation and photography show with Nikhil Chopra, Mumbai, 2005; documented Mumbai Projections of the UN funded HELLOWORLD Project , December, 2003 and Fill in the blanks PM*, a collaboration with Bose Krishnamachari at Lakeeren Gallery, Mumbai, 1998. Munir is currently working on optical sculptural experiments. He lives and works in Mumbai.