From Zero to Hero (from the SPOrTLIGHT series)
2002
38 x 52cm (15 x 20.5 in)
Poster colour and gouache on paper
Artist: Rabindra K.D. Kaur Singh
From Zero to Hero, examines the relationship between the world of
Sport, Media and Celebrity. In particular it looks at the role that
both the media and the commercialization of sport have played in turning
the humble sportsman into Universal Hero, celebrity Super Star, and
popular culture Icon. In a wider context it also comments on how,
in a world obsessed with materialism and the cult of celebrity, secular
Icons have come to replace the traditional spiritual role models offered
by world Faiths. Epitomizing this theme, this symbolic portrait of
David Beckham reflects an image of the footballer as portrayed through
TV, newspapers, magazines and Internet sites. The title of the painting
itself is borrowed from an article about Beckham in Hello magazine
and the quotes are taken from various other media stories and interviews.
Dubbed by the Press as ”The New Royal Family,” Beckham,
Victoria - his pop star wife and celebrity in her own right - and
son Brooklyn, are appropriately depicted crowned and enthroned. The
throne, based on that featured in Victoria’s official fan web
site, also references the ones famously used at the couple’s
wedding. In addition, a royal insignia combining the letters D,V,R
(‘David and Victoria Reign‘) further emphasizes the media’s
labeling of them as the “King and Queen of Popular Culture.”
The style and format is inspired by a traditional, 18th century,
Indian miniature (pictured above) - with its horizontal registers,
flat perspective, stylized forms and hierarchical composition. It
also draws on an established artistic convention adopted by many Indian
artists throughout history - that is, the use of multi arms to create
symbolic portraits which allowed them to convey, within a single image,
much more about the personality and stories behind the figures they
depicted. In one hand, ‘King’ Beckham holds a golden football
as his orb thus symbolizing the realm over which he rules. Representing
his status as fashion Icon, he holds a pair of sun glasses in another
hand which allude to the ‘Police’ brand he endorses. In
his remaining arms he holds his wife and son symbolizing how he is
perceived by some as a contemporary exemplar for the “devoted
husband” and “model father“. The nappies and every
day snacks (taken from the list of ‘likes’, on Victoria’s
official web page) present them as down to earth, ordinary people
- just as human as the rest of us, despite their elevated celebrity
status. The bottle of mineral water (also listed on Victoria’s
web site as Beckham’s preferred drink to alcohol) highlights
Beckham’s “decent”, and “well behaved”,
tee -total image which has helped changed the traditional perception
and stereotype of footballers as beer drinking, macho men. Beckham
has been described as “the king of England”, “the
great British Lion Heart” “Mr. Britain” and “the
most famous Englishman in the world”. In addition, as Captain
of the England Team and for his football skills, he is considered
a “national hero” who according to team mates, the football
public, and even some politicians deserves a Knighthood. As one newspaper
editor put it “right now he epitomizes all that‘s great
about being British“. As such, he wears the robes and crown
of King Richard the Lion Heart (as inspired by a medieval painting
of the same); his throne bears the emblem of the Tudor Rose; and the
great British Lion supporting the English flag, sits proudly at his
feet. At the same time, a fan presents a Medieval Knight’s helmet
on a golden tray in tribute to his idol.
As a married couple, David and Victoria have brought together the
worlds of Sport and Popular Culture. So, whilst he wears his team
strip, she holds a microphone symbolising her own significant achievements
and contribution to the music industry. On a different level their
union mirrors how in the 20/21st Century, the increased commercialization
of Sport has led to a blurring of the boundaries between these two
once separate domains. It’s a world where image is everything
and where sporting events, driven by big media sponsorship deals,
have become more about advertising and selling than playing a game.
In short, media ratings have turned sport into big business and
sportsmen into celebrities that have become the perfect marketing
tools. In Beckham’s case particularly, his selling power goes
far beyond the multimillion pound business of sports merchandising
(represented by the figure, bottom, far left) and its traditionally
male targeted audience. Hence, alongside the Adidas ’Predator’
boots which he officially endorses, he wears a designer watch and
jewelry. In addition, representatives from these fashion industries
offer him other designer labels on golden trays - as eager to dress
the sports superstar as they are the super model. One of the labels
carries the Beckham name. This denotes how, because of his celebrity
status, he has become a product himself - with his own trademarks
(such as the famous Mohican hair cut) being copied by his fans.
The pile of newspapers and magazines that prop up the throne emphasise
the role the media plays in creating and sustaining the world of celebrity.
However, as the precarious manner in which these are stacked reveals
this media creation is built on shaky foundations. And, as one of
the newspaper captions (“the world’s most hated man”)
reminds us, the media industry is happy to be as cruel as it can be
kind because, either way, the story sells. In this respect, the image
shows the Beckhams ‘adored’ by the media (represented
by the semi-human creatures clothed in banknotes) as the “perfect
packageable product of [their] age” with a wide public appeal
that traverses the worlds of sport, fashion, pop and celebrity. But
the fickle nature of this ‘adoration’ is represented by
the eggs and stars that are simultaneously showered on the them by
the media ‘cat’ and ‘dog‘ in Tabloid heaven.
The use of the cat and the dog to symbolise the double edged sword
of the media is significant in that they each can be read both positively
and negatively according to different cultural perspectives. So, the
dog can represent man’s best friend, faithfulness and loyalty,
or else, darkness and danger. Likewise the cat has been taken to symbolise
both good luck and fortune, as well as deceit, ridicule and cruelty.
The cat and dog analogy also parallels the rivalry which exists within
the media in their pursuit of the all important exclusive.
Overall, this is a positive portrait of celebrities as role models
for success achieved through hard work and determination. It also
points to the vulnerability of those who find themselves in the spotlight
because of that success and questions whether their elevation to celebrity
status through the media makes them fair game for ridicule at its
hands. In addition it asks how much we as the viewing/reading public
can really know about the real people behind the media -created ‘fantasy’
image. Ultimately, it supports the common sense dictate that one should
not believe everything one sees/reads in the media. For, whether depicted
as zero or hero the truth is that, like us, most celebrities are probably
somewhere in between.
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RE: Expressed
concerns over Beckham family portrait
In order to respond to your concerns
properly we feel we need to first tell you something about our background:
As we are sure you are well aware
Sikhism teaches that all religions are equal and, therefore, should be
afforded equal respect . Coming from a Sikh family WE FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THIS
PRINCIPLE (the images/statues of religious icons from all world faiths take
pride of place in our home).
We were brought up on the wonderful
tales of Hindu mythology and as teenagers travelled extensively around India
to learn about our Indian roots in all its diversity - not just from a Sikh
perspective. Also, we studied Hinduism together at both Undergraduate and
Postgraduate level - both the art and the scriptures. Our Gurus were born
Hindus and indeed they considered Hinduism a religion worth defending,
fighting and dying for. Furthermore, the writings of Hindu Saints are
included in our Sikh Scriptures. Therefore, the last thing we would ever do
would be to insult the Hindu faith which continues to be such an integral
part of our own cultural and religious identity. Our father even gave us
Hindu middle names to acknowledge this fact. We might add that Hindus are
included amongst our most closest and dearest friends.
We are sorry that you feel
offended by our painting of the Beckhams but, unfortunately you have fallen
for the sensationalist headlines, certain misquotes and misrepresentation of
the painting by some of the media .
To
clarify:
Contrary to what has been printed
the portrait does NOT show Beckham, Victoria and Brooklyn AS Shiva, Parvati
and Ganesh. If we had wanted to show this we would have made it quite
obvious - i.e, we would have depicted Beckham, for instance, holding a
trident, a dumroo, and wearing a tiger skin etc. In fact the painting has
been inspired by a traditional image of Shiva and Parvati- merely in terms
of the general composition and artistic symbolic language used and is
basically a comment on how religious Icons have been replaced by secular
ones in a materialistic world that, unfortunately, would rather have sports
and pop celebrities as role models instead of the spiritual ones offered by
world religions (whether they be Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, Hindu Gods, Sikh
Gurus, Saints etc, etc). This is a sad fact of the times we live in and one
which we feel needs to be questioned.
In answer to a particular question:
No, we would not like it if Beckham were depicted as one of the Sikh Gurus
or a Jewish prophet but we have not depicted the Beckhams as Hindu Gods,
only as themselves - as secular icons in a secular world.
The Beckham portrait is in fact only
one in a series of works that look at the relationship between sport, media
and celebrity and the impact this has had on modern society. Like all our
work these paintings draw upon the rich artistic and symbolic language of
our Indian traditions and seek to project a positive image of Asian identity
- introducing wider audiences to the beauty and continuing value of our
heritage in contemporary Western society but also challenging the
established view that Contemporary Art is only relevant if it comes form a
Western tradition.
We would like to reassure you that
when the sports themed works are exhibited there will be detailed
commentaries on each painting so there can be no misunderstanding about
their content and meanings.
We would also like to say that we
have received support from Hindu representatives from around the UK and, to
be frank, if the newspapers had not mentioned the names of Shiva, Parvati
and Ganesh (who incidentally is not in the original painting that inspired
us) , we doubt that anyone - Hindu or otherwise- would have even seen a
connection as the painting does not contain any of the visual symbols that
traditionally identify these figures specifically.
We appreciate your feedback but were
surprised at your response as one of the beauties of the Hindu Faith is its
open mindedness where even a stone, or tree can be worshipped as God and
which accepts the idea of humans playing the role of Gods in TV and film.
Yours sincerely
The Singh Twins
Amrit and Rabindra
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