SOLID FLUIDITY

AWAY FROM, BUT NONETHELESS CAPITALISING ON the frenzy of the India Art Fair this week, Talwar Gallery is showcasing the work of Ranjani Shettar, whose sculptural installations have garnered critical acclaim in connection with shows at top international museums such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Unlike several of her contemporaries who also work in the field of abstract expression, Shettar looks to the natural world, rather than the urban, for her inspiration. Her sculptures have an organic quality, both because of their form and the material she uses to construct them— beeswax, vegetable dyes and wood— and are devoid of ornamentation. The title of the exhibition, Bubble Trap and a Double Bow, takes its name from a work that is emblematic of Shettar’s commitment to retaining the qualities of her materials— in this case, wood— while simultaneously incorporating a sense of movement that belies the solidity of the material. The show at Talwar Gallery comprises some 15 works of art by Shettar, which were completed between 2012 and 2017. The artworks range from solid objects to immersive environments created using suspended mobile sculptures made of fabric and wire, to complex installations that are made of hundreds of individual components and woodcut prints. One of her most interesting works of art is a 16- foot scroll that Shettar made while on a residency in Qatar. Dyed in henna, the imagery on the scroll is printed using wooden blocks and the abstract ‘ narrative’ can only be viewed a portion at a time. The exhibition will remain open until the end of May, at Talwar Gallery in Neeti Bagh, New Delhi.