Admiring art in the third dimension – Hindustan Times

New Delhi

A form of art that almost instantly lends meaning to spaces is a sculpture. Even a slight variation in the expression adds another perspective to these three dimensional pieces of art. And thats why the 35 contemporary sculptures by 18 artists at this show in the city entice the viewer to look and absorb the many ways in which art can be interpreted.

Ranging between abstraction and figuration, the exhibition titled 18 Dimensions: Sculptural Manifestations, pairs upcoming contemporary sculptors along with the established ones, and also provides four new sculptors with a platform to showcase their work. Curated by gallerists and fashion designers Rahul Khanna and Rohit Gandhi, this collection spanning across artistic thoughts, materials and methods features works of Arunkumar HG, Ashiesh Shah, Gigi Scaria, GR Iranna, LN Tallur, Narayan Biswas, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Manjunath Kamath, Pooja Iranna, Himmat Shah, Jagannath Panda, Rajesh Ram, Riyas Komu, Sangam Vankhade, Sumedh R, Subodh Gupta, Sudarshan Shetty, Valay Shende, Vibha Galhotra and Vipul Kumar.

Our focus was on curating a show dedicated to sculpture because we felt sculpture has been ignored in the art space, explains Khanna of Palette Art Gallery, adding, In fact Indian art started with sculptural art. Today, there are so many sculptors doing contemporary and modern sculpture in the 21st century. And this show explores the kind of art we like as collectors, and what we grew up seeing. The idea behind this show was to showcase sculptural expressions to a bigger audience in a physical space, as compared to an online show.

Each artist presents his/her individual voice that exudes their interest and concerns in the contemporary context. Take for instance artist Pooja Iranna, whose work Still Standing Strong is taken from monuments across the globe that have a distinctive character to them, with stories behind them all. Iranna says, It reflects architectural spaces that have been there for long and their presence is still felt; which is something that cannot be said about modern constructions.

One of the highlights of the show include a selection of the rare hemp works by Mrinalini Mukherjee, and works by Sudharshan Shetty and Narayan Biswas. There are also two exhibits by Vibha Galhotra, which contemplate on the human impact on the planet. These are part of my larger practice addressing the question of Where are we Going? says Galhotra, explaining, Ephemeral Utopia projects a hypothetical scenario of environmental collapse of the Earth and a subsequent uncovering of the globe as an archaeological remain, an evidence of a past time when Earth existed with all its geographical borders and divisions. Similarly the work Presence of an Absence - Debris addresses the state of the co-habitors of the planet and their extinction.

Catch It Live

What: 18 Dimensions: Sculptural Manifestations

Where: Bikaner House, Pandara Road

When: November 28 to December 6

Timing: 10am to 6pm

Nearest Metro Station: Khan Market on the Violet Line

Author tweets @siddhijainn

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter

Read this article:

Admiring art in the third dimension - Hindustan Times