In 2019, Prajakta Potnis’s uncle was suffering from a recurring chest infection. Scans showed a mysterious substance inside his lungs: a combination of chemicals had begun to froth at intervals, making it difficult for him to breathe. Her uncle had spent most of his life working in a detergent factory and the soap had trickled in. This lung lather was caused by physiological reasons, but also psychosomatic: if he got anxious or stressed, the symptoms got worse. Potnis would sit with him for extended periods, working almost like a forensic artist, as he described his condition. These details became the basis for ‘A Body Without Organs’, a show that brings together painting, sculpture and video.
The Lungs of a Loved One
In Prajakta Potnis’s show at Project 88, Mumbai, her uncle’s illness eerily presages the Covid-19 emergency
Skye Arundhati Thomas, Frieze, April 9, 2020
