<p>B S Shivaraju aka Cop Shiva, a policeman-turned-photographer, is presenting his 15th solo show, starting May 31. Titled ‘No Longer a Memory’, the exhibition is a nostalgic return to his childhood, created in collaboration with his 67-year-old mother, Gowramma. </p>.<p>For the series, the duo recreate the role-play games they once enjoyed during his childhood, posing against old-school, handpainted backdrops.</p>.<p>Writer and curator Joshua Muyiwa explains the idea: “They used to play games like cop and robber, or bring mythological stories to life using makeshift costumes from around the house. During the pandemic, when he moved back in with his mother, he realised he didn’t have a single photograph of the two of them together. The heart of this project is him returning to those childhood stories — revisiting them now as an adult, with his mother by his side.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea of masquerade has long intrigued Bengaluru-based Cop Shiva, and according to Muyiwa, the series marks “an interesting turning point in his work”. He shares, “He’s always been interested in the performative and in people who play characters. Now, he’s the performer and he is pointing the camera back at himself.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cop Shiva describes the project as an emotional undertaking. “Mothers are special in everyone’s life. I am hopeful that when people see the exhibition, they will reconnect with memories of their own mothers,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The project began eight years ago and remains a work in progress. It spans over 100 photographs, divided into multiple series. One of the images won the Sovereign Asian Art Public Vote Prize in 2023.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Opens May 31, 5.30 pm. On view until June 28, 10.30 am to 6 pm, at Gallery Sumukha, Wilson Garden. Call 93804 20041.</span></p>
<p>B S Shivaraju aka Cop Shiva, a policeman-turned-photographer, is presenting his 15th solo show, starting May 31. Titled ‘No Longer a Memory’, the exhibition is a nostalgic return to his childhood, created in collaboration with his 67-year-old mother, Gowramma. </p>.<p>For the series, the duo recreate the role-play games they once enjoyed during his childhood, posing against old-school, handpainted backdrops.</p>.<p>Writer and curator Joshua Muyiwa explains the idea: “They used to play games like cop and robber, or bring mythological stories to life using makeshift costumes from around the house. During the pandemic, when he moved back in with his mother, he realised he didn’t have a single photograph of the two of them together. The heart of this project is him returning to those childhood stories — revisiting them now as an adult, with his mother by his side.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">The idea of masquerade has long intrigued Bengaluru-based Cop Shiva, and according to Muyiwa, the series marks “an interesting turning point in his work”. He shares, “He’s always been interested in the performative and in people who play characters. Now, he’s the performer and he is pointing the camera back at himself.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cop Shiva describes the project as an emotional undertaking. “Mothers are special in everyone’s life. I am hopeful that when people see the exhibition, they will reconnect with memories of their own mothers,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The project began eight years ago and remains a work in progress. It spans over 100 photographs, divided into multiple series. One of the images won the Sovereign Asian Art Public Vote Prize in 2023.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Opens May 31, 5.30 pm. On view until June 28, 10.30 am to 6 pm, at Gallery Sumukha, Wilson Garden. Call 93804 20041.</span></p>