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Artworks
Pratap Morey b. 1981
Camouflage Subterfuge, 2025Archival prints, acrylic colour, and isograph ink drawings on Di bond sheet
(HSN Code: 97020000)84 x 48 inchesCopyright Pratap Morey, 2025Camouflage Subterfuge refers to the visual fraud embodied by the flashy glass buildings we so readily embrace and celebrate. During construction, these buildings appear immense and monstrous—heavy, concrete-grey structures that...Camouflage Subterfuge refers to the visual fraud embodied by the flashy glass buildings we so readily embrace and celebrate.
During construction, these buildings appear immense and monstrous—heavy, concrete-grey structures that consume the sky and dominate their surroundings. They feel oppressive and ungainly. Yet, once clad in reflective glass, they are transformed into sleek, shimmering grids. With the sky mirrored on their façades, the apparent structural weight of the building begins to dissolve. It appears lighter, almost weightless, camouflaging itself within its environment.
For the artist, this phenomenon closely resembles the 1987 film Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, the extraterrestrial predator reveals itself in two distinct forms: first, as a terrifying, rakshasa-like creature, and second, as a master of camouflage—so perfectly concealed that, for much of the narrative, it is visible only as a faint, distorted outline within the jungle.
The visual fraud we accept in our urban landscape operates in a similar space between the real and the surreal, synthetic yet aspirational. It masks mass and aggression beneath a seductive surface, much like the camouflaged predator, inviting admiration while concealing its true presence.1of 2
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