Crow (Altering the World Series)

Artist: Jai Zharotia
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Size: 36 x 43.8 inches (91.44 × 111.25 cm)
Year: 2001

Crow (Altering the World Series) is a compelling example of the artist’s ability to merge imagination, symbolism, and subtle socio-philosophical commentary. Rendered in acrylic on canvas, the work is deeply evocative, drawing viewers into a mysterious visual narrative that blends the human, the animal, and the mythical.

The composition is structured around two dominant elements: a large, teal-colored, vase-like form on the left and a humanoid bird figure on the right. The vessel, containing a submerged or enclosed face, immediately suggests themes of containment, introspection, or perhaps spiritual entrapment. The face inside, painted in yellowish-tan and green, appears neither fully human nor objectified, its placement within the vase alludes to an inner psyche or an identity constrained by circumstance or transformation.

Opposing this on the right is the bird-like creature, a crow with a humanoid face. This hybrid being is rendered in reddish-browns, with piercing red eyes that capture attention and unsettle. The angular features, simplified forms, and intense gaze lend a primal energy to the figure. The crow in mythology and folklore often symbolizes transformation, the crossing of worlds, and messengers between the physical and the spiritual. Here, Zharotia may be suggesting a moment of transition, a disruption, or even resistance against established forms.

The muted golden-tan background, broken by areas of green and brown, reinforces the dreamlike quality of the piece. It situates the figures in an ambiguous, timeless space, perhaps a psychic landscape or mythic plane. The painting does not follow literal realism but instead evokes the symbolic and archetypal, a hallmark of Zharotia’s visual language.

Zharotia’s style often reflects an interest in theatricality, surreal narrative, and a sense of the absurd. In Crow, the juxtaposition of vessel and bird, containment and flight, the seen and the hidden, seems to question how identity, consciousness, or perception can be altered. The use of bold color contrasts and symbolic form points to larger existential questions: What does it mean to change the world? Who holds the power to do so, the contained self or the free, primal force. This painting is not just a visual experience but a philosophical invitation. It challenges viewers to interpret transformation not as destruction, but as essential for renewal, mystery, and the reimagining of our inner and outer worlds.