confluence: festival of india in australia
ajit ninan:
cartoonist to the world's largest democracy
Museum of Democracy at Old Parliament House, 22 September 2016 - 23 December 2016
Curator: Holly Williams
About the exhibition:
For Ajit Ninan cartooning runs in the blood, he is the nephew of cartoonist Abu Abraham and had his first cartoon published in the late 1960s when he was still at school. One of India’s best known cartoonists for the Centrestage series in India Today magazine and Ninan’s World in the Times of India, Ajit Ninan has been part of many Indians' daily lives.
Recognised for his insightful commentary on day-to-day life, political figures and world affairs, this exhibition presents a snapshot of his work over the last ten years. Ranging from cutting caricatures (“I always start with the nose. Then decide where to hang the rest of the face...”), the popular four-panel Politricks transformations, or his close to the bone political cartoons, Ajit Ninan’s work concisely captures the complexity of life in one of our largest neighbours.
Beyond politics, Ajit Ninan regularly addresses social issues and day-to-day activities in keenly observed and humorous ways that speak to some of the universal pressures of managing the family budget and raising children in an increasingly globalised society.
All cartoons courtesy Ajit Ninan and Times of India.
media coverage:
Ian Warden, Ajit Ninan: Cartoonist to the World's Biggest Democracy opens at Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra Times, 29 September 2016
Alex Sloan, Ajit Ninan, David Pope and Holly Williams, Afternoons, 666 ABC Radio Canberra, 22 September 2016
Beverly O'Connor, Indian cartoonist Ajit Ninan hosts exhibition to help bridge cultural ties, The World, ABC TV, 26 September 2016
Caitlyn Seymour-King, Ajit Ninan: The Searing Art of Political Commentary, Art Monthly Australasia, 25 September 2016
Photography: Sean Davey
