Alliance Française announces third Indo-french exhibition

Continuing with its well-received ‘Back To France’ series that promotes Indian artists with a French connection, Indofrench cultural centre Alliance Française de Delhi has announced the series’ third exhibition, with works of art by Delhi-based artist Richa Navani in focus.

The upcoming exhibition titled ‘Inhabited Geometries’, will present to viewers the abstract geometric forms that inhabit Navani’s work, meaningfully layered within the worlds of natural, sacred and architectonic. It has been curated by art theorist Adwait Singh.

An enduring leitmotif throughout her oeuvre across media, is the naturally-geometric beehive. Her bee series, expressive of the sensuality of a phallus, female torso, and the rawness of a beehive, produces a strong affective response.

Navani, who holds a PHD in fine arts from Delhi University, and a master’s in fine arts from Jam ia mill ia islam ia, has been a resident artist at French institutions like Saline Royale d’arc-et-senans, Camac Centre d’art and Musée-atelier Yvonne Guégan.

Drawing inspiration from the Indian philosophy of five cosmic elements or ‘panchbhoota’, the painter-sculptor and new media artist also underlines the influence of her French artist residencies on her work.

According to the Alliance Française director Jean Francois

Ramon, Navani proposes an exhibition made of many tensions: between abstraction and figuration, between indeterminate forms and pure geometry, between evocation of the present and references to past, between Indian tradition and European tradition, and between the visible and invisible.

‘Inhabited Geometries’ is open for the public view from November 9-25, at the Galerie Romain Rolland in the Capital.

It will be inaugurated by poet and Raza Foundation Managing Trustee Ashok Vajpeyi on November 8, at 6:30 pm.

The first two exhibitions of the ‘Back to France’ series, in action since last November, had showcased the works of artists Aishwarya Sultania and Reji Arackal.