His art is all an act

What happens when Nikhil Chopra builds personas as he creates his gigantic works? Both artist and art are transformed

- HEMANGINI MAHARAUL

Nikhil Chopra is a man of many faces.

Some remember him with kohl-rimmed eyes, pairing a turban with denims. Others recall those kohl-rimmed eyes against ostentatious drag costumes. Some have seen him in crisply tailored suits and embellished mojris. Wasn't he once also a Victorian adventurer?

They're all correct answers. These are the personas that the artist has adopted for his politically and emotionally charged works. Most people, when asked to think about performance art, may recall how Yayoi Kusama put polka-dot-covered human models on public display in the 1960s. Or how Yoko Ono once invited audience members to cut off pieces of clothing from her body. Or that moment in 2009 when Inder Salim cut off the little finger of his left hand and threw it into the Yamuna. It's art created by performance. But with Chopra, it's something more.