ALTERED STATES
The material mutiny of Bharti Kher
‘I break things, and I break materials open, because I want to know them,’ says Bharti Kher of her sculptures and paintings. The British-Indian artist, who lives and works in New Delhi, uses a diverse array of materials, including fibreglass, bronze, resin, wood, cement, plaster and wax, ‘to create the unusual, the unknown’. Each of
her surreal pieces seems to be in a state of flux between the mythological and the scientific, the earthly and the spiritual, the corporeal and the psychological. ‘It’s about
transformation; being and becoming. Things move between liminal states,’ she says. This autumn sees Kher take part in a second residency at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, where she is exhibiting a new body of work titled The Intermediaries – hybrid feminine forms made from tiny pieces of clay figurines found across southern India. The display will also include a large bronze outdoor sculpture, two hanging works and a selection of drawings made in her temporary Somerset studio, whose ‘incredible sense of quietude’ has been a powerful source of inspiration for this idiosyncratic artist. bt ‘Bharti Kher: A Wonderful Anarchy’ is at Hauser & Wirth Somerset
(www.hauserwirth.com) until 5 January 2020.