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.