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        What distinguishes man from other living creatures is his sense of humour. The capacity to see the lighter side of the most distressing situation is an art in itself. Sayings like, 'Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly; devils fall because of their gravity,' and 'brevity is the soul of the wit' arise from our love of displaying our wit.

        While an important dimension of humour is enjoyment, certain kinds of humour such as satire and parody can be used to make a powerful political, social or economic statement on serious issues.

        Tongue in cheek statements are often made by both artists and writers to convey their thoughts on the leading political or social issue of the day.

        And four artists have tried to covey their thoughts with a humourous twist through their paintings, which can be seen on display at the exhibition - 'Tongue in Cheek,' now being held at the Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam.

        The works are both provocative and evocative with their subtle sense of humour. The paintings of K George, P G Dinesh, Alexis Kersey and Dilip Sharma are quirky and yet appealing. They are deeply introspective, yet laced with subversive undercurrent of humour.

        P G Dinesh is one of those few artists, among the younger generation, who have successfully developed a highly individual style of critical-narration and made the best use of it with excellent results.

        Using a language, which seemingly derives its alphabets from cartoons and caricatures, weapons of mass destruction, mythical characters and political figures figure conspicuously on his canvas.

        Alexis Kersey with a good grasp of contemporary India and the intricate nuances of painting styles tries to address issues like globalisation and rapid urban development.

        K George's paintings seem to be an outcome of the prevailing pop culture with graffiti-style work. Dilip Sharma through his paintings takes on a tour of youth culture, popular tastes, urbanisation, globalisation and the eclectic fashion industry. The exhibition is open to the public till 17 May.
- NT Bureau