My Expired God
Sunil Sigdel, 2014
Acrylic on canvas
90 × 180 cm

© Sunil Sigdel

We observe that all wars are initiated by a handful of people. The ego of mankind becomes diabolical when bolstered by political, religious and other selfish motifs. The war games these people endorse has had a very tragic effect on humanity. Many people die. In Nepal we lost many people during the conflict between the Maoists and the government. National borders and geographic divisions cannot stop human emotion. In this new age of information, people are connected throughout the world and feel close to one another. When learning of the death of people in other countries, I cannot ignore my emotions; I cannot label my feelings and say this man, woman or child is not of my family or my country. Every religion espouses the belief that the human soul is part of God.

In this work I combine two things. One is the horrific image of death in war; the figure depicted is seen with detached intestines, an image which disturbed me for a very long time. The other is my most pleasing image of God, Vishnu, the God of protection, who relaxes on Sheshanaga in the middle of an ocean. I have been fascinated by this image since childhood. The result is entitled My Expired God.