A symbolic churning of past and present; a navigation of personal and collective timelines; a vast universe framed through metaphors and allegories - the selection of work addresses in varied ways, these transformative processes that make meaning of contemporary reality. The makers articulate diverse worlds in hybrid visual languages as they dissect layers of experience, bringing forth the surreal and beautiful; the transient and the enduring. Transmogrification– of earth and landscape, material and built culture, mind and bodily form, reminds us of the constant shift from one appearance, state, or phase to another.
There are multiple ways to look at the world, document it, and communicate about it. The fluctuating nature of reality justifies and demands constant improvisation in order to respond to it. In times when the normal is suspended, and habit is disrupted, a sense of disorientation becomes visible.
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Sarika Bajaj
“My work seeks to highlight humankind’s relationship with nature. I believe our lives are inexorably intertwined and are both complex and interdependent.
Birds are an extension of nature and have been revered since ancient times. With current ecological concerns such as climate change and habitat loss, birds are threatened worldwide. Growth in human populations has altered natural ecosystems for the consumption of resources, causing deterioration and loss of biodiversity.
Isn’t it paradoxical that humans who are responsible for this dire situation are now appalled by the present damage?
These multiple layers of complexities are embedded in my work. Using repetitive and labor-intensive techniques such as sewing, knotting, twisting, raveling and unraveling, I generate forms with disparate materials that carry distinct symbolism. These diverse materials merge organically into a cohesive whole.
By recycling and constantly giving new shapes and meanings to the discarded feathers I collect, I believe I am making felt the presence of these beings.”
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Subodh Kerkar
“I am an ocean artist. All my life, I have created hundreds of works connected with the ocean. A lot of them have been temporary works on the seashore. I decided to go a step further and create works in collaboration with the ocean. During the Portuguese period, ceramic plates were imported from China and Europe to Goa. I acquired old plates from antique dealers and immersed them in the ocean for a period of 2 – 3 years, protected in iron cages. As a result of which they were covered with oysters.”
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BIRENDER YADAV
“My works are a means to reconcile with the conflicting realities constructed by the power structures on one hand and the struggle-ridden everyday life of the most oppressed on the other. I draw my images from the memories of my family and my personal interaction and understanding of the world around me. Coming from a farming and labor background the issues faced by these communities, in particular, are close to me. My works collaboratively involve my family, friends, and acquaintances who are still involved in the labor-oriented work and environment. This helps me to understand and incorporate the realities of the everyday life struggles with losing much through representation.”
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HARSHA DURUGADDA
“For me, the most important ability of humankind is that of sensitivity and awareness. It is this quality that is evident in the indigenous communities of the world, wherein life is approached with humbleness and respect. I would like our attention to be drawn to minuscule details of life; whether it is the sound of a raindrop or a spinning top. Outwardly, the shapes may be familiar, yet they do not conform to a known visual landscape - they are altered, moving away. A raindrop, a spin top or a bunch of leaves could be symbols of growth and movement.”
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YASIR WAQAS
“In my distant memories of growing up, learning the mechanics of real airplanes and watching the fascinating details of engines was something I fondly did. It triggered my imagination and inspired me to draw them but more than that I was expected to fly them. Being a GPL Pilot and an aircraft mechanic, I felt limited and constrained. Something I wasn’t really sure about started a contradictory conflict within me. What lies between is a huge haze of confusion, clash of ideas, and flight from certain circumstances but not being able to fully shun what has been planted in one’s mind.
My work is about compromises and conflicts within a personality, between idea innate and idea implanted, and the damage to the personality and the idea itself. The occurrence of feathers and metal in my work continues to build and deceive the viewer because of their very nature, one being artificially created and the other nature itself. Yet it is a contradiction to their very existence. The battle of opposing a planted idea in my work also explains that it is not always easy to make something you think is best for yourself and acting according to your will doesn’t necessarily make it your reality. Sometimes it leaves you claustrophobic and again leaves you with a desire to fly to the unknown.”
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INSTALLATION SHOTS
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About the Artists
BIRENDER YADAV
Birender Kumar Yadav (b. 1992, Ballia, Uttar Pradesh) earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University and a Masters in Fine Arts specializing in Painting from the College of Arts, New Delhi in 2015. His works have been showcased in various exhibitions including “Idhar-Udhar (Here-There)”, a Solo exhibition in Collaboration with 1 Shanthi Road, Bangalore at Clark House Initiative, Mumbai,2017; “Workers and Farmers: The panorama of resistance (prelude) future collaborations”, among several others.
Yadav is a multi-disciplinary artist who experiments with various media including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, etching, found objects, and man-made objects, as well as live documenting. Influenced by his early experiences as the son of a blacksmith working in a coal mine, his works often draw attention to the issues of class hierarchies and the plight of the working class. Using gunpowder extracted from matchsticks as his primary medium, Yadav explores the complexities of class and identity while performing a commentary on power structures extant in contemporary socio-political structures.
HARSHA DURUGADDA
Harsha Durugadda (b. 1989, Hyderabad, India) holds a Master of Arts Diploma in Visual Communication from WLC College, New Delhi, 2011, and an MA in Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, 2016. His solo exhibition titled “Whirling Out”, was shown at the Lalit Kala Academy in New Delhi, 2016. The artist has participated in several group exhibitions, inclusive of “Transit”, Apre Art House,Bikaner House, New Delhi, India, 2021; “Abstract Mind”, CICA Museum, South Korea, 2019; “Nord Art”, Büdelsdorf, Germany, 2018; “Sculpture by the Sea”, Cottesloe, Australia 2016, 2017, 2018; “Translations”, Emergent Art Space, Portland, USA 2015; “Cultural Coalitions”, Plastic Propaganda, London, 2014; “Sarai City”, Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi, 2013; and “Unbox Festival”, Queens Gallery, British Council, New Delhi, 2012.
Durugadda’s multidisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installations, and sound. The artist encourages the audience to physically engage with his works in which found objects such as metal, stone, wood, and automobile tires are often used. Durugadda pairs together atypical and unexpected objects and forms, pushing the boundaries of the identifiable creating works that are dynamic and enigmatic.
SARIKA BAJAJ
Sarika Bajaj (b. 1976, Ghaziabad, India) completed her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in painting at Rachna Sansad, Mumbai in 2009. The artist has participated in group exhibitions which include, “Transit”, Apre Art House,Bikaner House, New Delhi, 2021; “Homage”, AMAA, Mumbai 2018; Vocabularies, Art Positive, Delhi, 2018; Anniversary Show, The Loft, Mumbai, 2016; “Kashish Art Festival”, Gallery Beyond, Mumbai, 2015; “India’s Reflections”, Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zurich, 2011. Sarika Bajaj has participated in the “India Art Fair” 2012, Kunst Art Fair, Zurich 2011, and “Scope Basel”, 2011. Her solo show titled “Flight”, curated by Anupa Mehta at The Loft in 2017.
Bajaj’s work investigates and highlights the multidimensional aspects of people’s relationship with nature. Working in various mediums, she juxtaposes bodily forms with flowers, birds, roots, and branches of trees and other organic forms. The artist believes in an intangible and interdependent bond that humankind has with the ecosystems they are a part of Her recent body of work includes the use of bird feathers, emphasizing the environmental threat the species face in a rapidly urbanized world. She employs repetitive and labor-intensive techniques such as sewing, knotting, twisting, raveling and unraveling, to generate forms of distinct symbolism. The artist attributes her use of feathers to the place birds have in mythology and their ritual presence in Indigenous cultures around the world.
SUBODH KERKAR
Subodh Kerkar (b. 1959, Goa, India) was born in a small picturesque village of Keri on the northern border of Goa. A qualified medical professional, he gave up medicine to pursue arts 30 years ago. Kerkar often works with found objects and historical material, infusing it with commentaries on contemporary experience. He is the Founding Director of Museum of Goa (MOG) and has exhibited, lectured, and presented widely in galleries and museums nationally and internationally. Presently, he also holds the Mario Miranda Chair under VRPP at Goa University.
Subodh Kerkar is an artist and an activist and uses his art to comment on social, political, religious, cultural, and other issues. He has carved a niche for himself, especially in the field of conceptual art and land art. He spent his childhood, walking on the beaches with his artist father, Chandrakant Kerkar. These walks consolidated his relationship with his father and with the ocean. Subodh Kerkar’s installations are heavily washed by the ocean, both literally and metaphorically. He creates ephemeral and performative work using thousands of mussel shells, pebbles, palm leaves, boats, fishermen, and sand. The ocean is both inside and outside his works, his master and his muse.
YASIR WAQAS
Yasir Waqas (b. 1985, Quetta, Pakistan) graduated from the National College of Arts Lahore in 2013 where he specialized in miniature painting. His first solo exhibition “Flight” was held at Rohtas ii Gallery, Lahore, in 2017. His artistic growth has taken place not only around Pakistan but also internationally. His group and solo exhibitions have taken place in Italy, India, and Dubai. He is also a trained GPL pilot and an aircraft mechanic. Becoming a professional pilot felt constraining to him thus; he expresses himself through art and is now a full-time artist. He is a recipient of the Arjumand Art Prize by Gallery 6 at Pakistan National Council of Arts, Islamabad (2017). He is currently a part of a cartography project associated with the British Council of Pakistan and the Faiz Foundation taking place with the children of the Walled City of Lahore.
Yasir Waqas' work deals with compromises and conflicts, between ideas innate and ideas implanted, and the damage to the personality and the idea itself. His work often comprises different layered parts, juxtaposed in a way that the abstract visuals speak metaphorically about the conflicts within a person's belief system and aims to address the contradictions within a system, which can lead to inner destruction on the whole and on a macro level, infect the entire race. He feels it is a duty and responsibility of the artist to address societal and political issues at hand.
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All Works
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