The Indian-born artist Gotama Adan Ram, also know as “Gar,” swore by a manifesto: “I am who I am, and I do what I do. I am my art, and my art is me.” Gar experienced great success in the United States during the onrush of modern art that followed W.W. II. Inspired by friends and peers such as Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly, he often thought about the histories of design, culture, and gender discrimination. This exhibition tracks Gar’s impressive career and rapid downfall, which resulted from a series of incidents that reduced him to his race and class background. Oh, and one more detail: Gotama Adan Ram never existed. The New York-based artist Doug Meyer invented him. “For a year I felt as though I was Gar,” Meyer recently told Cultured. Known for combining installations with fictional narratives, Meyer’s latest show blurs the line between reality and imagination more than ever. —Jeanne Malle
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Gar: Then and Now
Doug Meyer, Fire-Crotch, 1977.
When
Nov 2 – Dec 22, 2023
Where
Etc
Photo: Daniel Cooney Fine Art New York