Life
The Taj Through Rose Tinted Glasses
Did you think the Taj Mahal was in Agra, India? Well, yes. But the Pink Taj Mahal is only in America! This is New York based artist Rina Banerjee’s tongue in cheek response to the romanticized view of India during the British Raj, the penchant for seeing India through rose-colored glasses.
Take me, Take me, Take me . . . to the Palace of Love is the name of this installation, which costs pennies compared to the original Palace of Love! It is constructed out of a 19 foot copper frame and is wrapped in thousands of square feet of hot pink Saran wrap! Now we know what to use our excess plastic wrap on! Inside this rosy “palace” are a plastic chandelier and a heavily carved 19th-century Anglo-Indian chair over a semiprecious stone globe. This modern day masterpiece can be seen at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, as part of its major exhibition on the Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal, the Building of a Legend, an exhibition of approximately 40 paintings, watercolors, photographs, and objects that explore the architecture and mystique of the Taj. |
