Convergence
Jul 24 -Aug 23, 2020
View the works here
Shanthamani Muddaiah
Artist Statement
Located in the midst of the development, most of the educated or technologically skilled workforce, transform themselves as invisible working hands providing services to the world as per the required geographical timings. The outsourced works need infrastructures that enable people to work long hours. That converts every human being into another commercial product.
The density of the city where everything is now measured by square foot has evaporated the former garden city which was developed by the same human efforts. My work titled “Flying Landscape” comes out of this experience.
All the above ideas can be disregarded as nostalgic rants, reasoning that development of a society is inevitable. For me, Bangalore gives a microcosmic understanding of the idea of development done at the macro level, since the same has been done in all the third-world countries. It also shows how the same idea applies the capitalistic principles uniformly on all the cultures. The real question is, why don’t we consider ecology, environment and culture while we embrace development at this speed?
I mostly experiment with carbon-based materials. Like culture, carbon resources have taken millions of years to form deep inside the earth. In the human hands, it is depleting very quickly as our gluttony is inexhaustible. Apple in Eden garden that is forbidden yet consumed.
Profile
Shanthamani Muddaiah was born in Mysore, Karnataka, India in 1967. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting from Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts, Mysore University, India. Her Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Painting is from M.S. University, Baroda, India. In 2004, she was in Glasgow, Scotland for a paper making course under The Charles Wallace Scholarship. Between 2006 to 2008 and 2014 to 2016, she received both Junior and Senior research grants under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. In 2017 she was invited for an artist residency program in Cité Des Arts, under The Ministry of Culture, France.
Shanthamani is a sculptural artist who uses ephemeral natural materials in her visual art work such as paper and charcoal to create, install and display exhibits. Her practice is intimately linked to the physicality of the materials she employs. Charcoal, a material she frequently uses in sculptures and installations, is fragile against force but signifies to the artist a connection to all that is primordial. In the era of climate change, her work material is also an indication of her concern with the most pressing environmental issues.
Her participation in the Kochi Muziris Biennale, India 2014, in Art Brussels, represented by Suzanne Tarasieve Gallery, Brussels, in India Art Fair, New Delhi 2012, in “Critical Mass” Tel Aviv Museum, curated by Tami Katz-Freiman, Rotem Ruff, Tel Aviv, Israel, in “River, Body & Legends” a corpus multimedia presentation with two Women artists at Matighar, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi 2003, in the two person show held at Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich 2001 and the 10th Triennale-India underline her credentials as a contemporary artist.
In 2019 she was in an Artist in Residence in Settle Stores, Yorkshire UK, 2017 Artist in Residence at Cité Des Arts, Paris and in 2013 she participated in the International Bamboo workshop with the students of Ensad, Paris, in Saline Royale.
My works come from the process of continuously breaking and recreating myself to understand not just the world around me but also the world inside me. In the quest to find itself, the very self has to break the structures it has built over time. The ‘Untitled’ Red thread stitch work is an attempt to understand the making and breaking process that I am involved in where the thread or the thread like wire becomes the symbolic of the self.
The fear of disintegration of the self and the void it will create causes the dilemma of whether to break or not. I am confronted with the question many times if this making and breaking is unending and if this will help transform our being and the life around us. The work ‘dilemma’ comes from this process of thought.
The last few months have gone into isolation in our homes, we were unable to do our work, live and move freely. I felt trapped into my tiny space. The crocheted wire became symbolic of the trap that we make for ourselves whether they are psychological, physical, mental or emotional or even like this pandemic, which is in everyway a man-made entity – A trap, which the humans lay for themselves unaware of it while they were creating it. The work ‘trap’ is the beginning in this thought.
The many days of physical, social distancing and isolation has enlarged the feeling of being confined. I am even more sensitive to the small spaces in my house that are vacant and unnoticed, the little corners, the forms they create, the forms I see and can create in those spaces. The works ‘stitch forms’ are about these uncomfortable confined spaces and our compromise with them.
Profile
Shanthamani is a sculptural artist who uses ephemeral natural materials in her visual art work such as paper and charcoal to create, install and display exhibits. Her practice is intimately linked to the physicality of the materials she employs. Charcoal, a material she frequently uses in sculptures and installations, is fragile against force but signifies to the artist a connection to all that is primordial. In the era of climate change, her work material is also an indication of her concern with the most pressing environmental issues.
Her participation in the Kochi Muziris Biennale, India 2014, in Art Brussels, represented by Suzanne Tarasieve Gallery, Brussels, in India Art Fair, New Delhi 2012, in “Critical Mass” Tel Aviv Museum, curated by Tami Katz-Freiman, Rotem Ruff, Tel Aviv, Israel, in “River, Body & Legends” a corpus multimedia presentation with two Women artists at Matighar, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi 2003, in the two person show held at Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich 2001 and the 10th Triennale-India underline her credentials as a contemporary artist.
In 2019 she was in an Artist in Residence in Settle Stores, Yorkshire UK, 2017 Artist in Residence at Cité Des Arts, Paris and in 2013 she participated in the International Bamboo workshop with the students of Ensad, Paris, in Saline Royale.
Shivani Aggarwal
Artist Statement
The fear of disintegration of the self and the void it will create causes the dilemma of whether to break or not. I am confronted with the question many times if this making and breaking is unending and if this will help transform our being and the life around us. The work ‘dilemma’ comes from this process of thought.
The last few months have gone into isolation in our homes, we were unable to do our work, live and move freely. I felt trapped into my tiny space. The crocheted wire became symbolic of the trap that we make for ourselves whether they are psychological, physical, mental or emotional or even like this pandemic, which is in everyway a man-made entity – A trap, which the humans lay for themselves unaware of it while they were creating it. The work ‘trap’ is the beginning in this thought.
The many days of physical, social distancing and isolation has enlarged the feeling of being confined. I am even more sensitive to the small spaces in my house that are vacant and unnoticed, the little corners, the forms they create, the forms I see and can create in those spaces. The works ‘stitch forms’ are about these uncomfortable confined spaces and our compromise with them.
Profile
Shivani Aggarwal is a Delhi based Visual Artist.
She is a Post Graduate certificate holder in painting from Wimbledon school of art (London, UK) where she was studying under Charles Wallace art award. Her Art practice ranges from Painting, photography, sculpture, installation and video.
Shivani has been actively exhibiting and showcasing her works since 2002 both in the country and internationally with acclaimed art galleries and curators. She has had solo exhibitions in London; Lahore (Pakistan); Mumbai and Delhi (India) and a solo project at the India Art Fair 2013 with Studio Art Gallery.
Her art practice has been widely written about in International Art Magazines like ‘Sculpture’ and ‘Inspirational’ along with many online art magazines and portals. Her works are part of many esteemed collections internationally and within India.
Shivani is presently working on numerous projects, which include a 3 women artist curated exhibition in Bangalore, solo project in Delhi with studio art gallery, ‘In situ’ a 4 women artist’s exhibition in Perth, Australia along with many other exhibitions.
Minal had her solo shows, ‘Re-filled’ with Gallery Beyond, Mumbai in 2006 and ‘Drawing lines’ at Vadehra Art gallery, New Delhi in 2008. Also she has been part of many curated shows, ‘L.O.C’, Curated by Johny ML for Birla Academy of art and Culture, Kolkata in 2016, ‘Reviving the Retinal’ Curated by Kathleen Wyma for Gallery OED, Kochi in 2015, ‘Extending The Line’ Curated by Julia Villasenor for Vadehra art gallery in 2012, ‘Home’ curated by Anupa Mehta for Shrine Empire gallery in 2009, ‘ArtHK08’ at Vadehra art gallery booth in 2008, ‘Af-fair’, Curated by Bose Krishnamachari at 1x1 Art Space, Dubai in 2008, ‘Urban Similes–Transforming cities’ curated by Subalakshmi Shukla at Project 88, Mumbai in 2007, ‘Paper Flute’ curated by Johnny ML, Gallery Espace, New Delhi.
Nalini S Malaviya is a Bangalore based art consultant, curator and writer. She has been writing for the media since 2003, and has been an art columnist for Financial Times (Delhi and Bangalore) and Bangalore Mirror. She writes primarily on art - visual arts, performance, photography and collecting art. She has contributed to Times of India, Deccan Herald, art magazines and artist books. Several of her prefatory essays have been published as part of artist catalogues. Nalini is currently an art columnist with Sunday Herald.
She curates contemporary art exhibitions, working with visual artists from across the country and offers curatorial and advisory services to individuals and companies on art acquisition. Some of her curatorial projects include the ongoing ‘Convergence’ as part of an art and media collective, ‘Bend’, ‘Parallax of Visual Memories’, ‘Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space’, 'Irreverent Gene' and ‘Polynomials of Relevance’ .
She has written and presented papers for the Karnataka Lalithkala Academy Journal 'Art, Artists and Society – Catalyzing Social Change' and 'Linear Progressions: Tracing the Line in Karnataka'.
Nalini publishes Art Scene India (www.artsceneindia.com), a popular blog cum Ezine featuring art news, events and articles. She is currently a Member Advisory Committee, National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore.
She is a Post Graduate certificate holder in painting from Wimbledon school of art (London, UK) where she was studying under Charles Wallace art award. Her Art practice ranges from Painting, photography, sculpture, installation and video.
Shivani has been actively exhibiting and showcasing her works since 2002 both in the country and internationally with acclaimed art galleries and curators. She has had solo exhibitions in London; Lahore (Pakistan); Mumbai and Delhi (India) and a solo project at the India Art Fair 2013 with Studio Art Gallery.
Her art practice has been widely written about in International Art Magazines like ‘Sculpture’ and ‘Inspirational’ along with many online art magazines and portals. Her works are part of many esteemed collections internationally and within India.
Shivani is presently working on numerous projects, which include a 3 women artist curated exhibition in Bangalore, solo project in Delhi with studio art gallery, ‘In situ’ a 4 women artist’s exhibition in Perth, Australia along with many other exhibitions.
Minal Damani
Artist Statement
This series of drawings are representations of graphs, which are records of the movement of stocks in financial market. I started working on this idea while having conversations with my father, where he would talk about how he spent his day, looking at fluctuating numbers of stock exchange. This has been his routine since I could remember. To me this was an abstract phenomenon that had occupied my everyday time space, like a framework of Volatility existing in the space of everyday. With curiosity I started looking at the complete graphs that came up every evening. These diagrams in a way are records of time, second by second of working hours of markets. Translating these diagrams into imaginary bodies/structure, in a way has become a gesture of time keeping for me in the current situation of confinement.Profile
Minal Damani is an artist based in Mumbai. She finished her B.F.A. (2000) and M.F.A. (2002) in painting from Sir.J.J. School of Art, Mumbai. She was awarded ‘Young Artist Scholarship from Human Resource Department, Government of India, from 2001 to 2003. She has also been awarded S.B. Palshikar Award, Mayo memorial Award, J.J teacher’s award, at her alma mater in the years 1999, 2000 and 2002 respectively. Her recent shows include ‘Between the lines’ 2020, Gallery 27, Kochi, ‘Delhi Contemporary Art Week’ 2018, Gallery Latitude 28, New Delhi, ‘Three tales of another microcosm’ 2017 at Latitude 28, New Delhi, ‘Abstract chronicles’, collateral show at 2016 edition of Kochi Muziris Biennale, curated by Girish Shahane at Gallery OED, Kochi, ‘Unmarked’, collateral show at 2014 edition of Kochi Muziris Biennale at gallery BC.Minal had her solo shows, ‘Re-filled’ with Gallery Beyond, Mumbai in 2006 and ‘Drawing lines’ at Vadehra Art gallery, New Delhi in 2008. Also she has been part of many curated shows, ‘L.O.C’, Curated by Johny ML for Birla Academy of art and Culture, Kolkata in 2016, ‘Reviving the Retinal’ Curated by Kathleen Wyma for Gallery OED, Kochi in 2015, ‘Extending The Line’ Curated by Julia Villasenor for Vadehra art gallery in 2012, ‘Home’ curated by Anupa Mehta for Shrine Empire gallery in 2009, ‘ArtHK08’ at Vadehra art gallery booth in 2008, ‘Af-fair’, Curated by Bose Krishnamachari at 1x1 Art Space, Dubai in 2008, ‘Urban Similes–Transforming cities’ curated by Subalakshmi Shukla at Project 88, Mumbai in 2007, ‘Paper Flute’ curated by Johnny ML, Gallery Espace, New Delhi.
Nalini S Malaviya
Profile
She curates contemporary art exhibitions, working with visual artists from across the country and offers curatorial and advisory services to individuals and companies on art acquisition. Some of her curatorial projects include the ongoing ‘Convergence’ as part of an art and media collective, ‘Bend’, ‘Parallax of Visual Memories’, ‘Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space’, 'Irreverent Gene' and ‘Polynomials of Relevance’ .
She has written and presented papers for the Karnataka Lalithkala Academy Journal 'Art, Artists and Society – Catalyzing Social Change' and 'Linear Progressions: Tracing the Line in Karnataka'.
Nalini publishes Art Scene India (www.artsceneindia.com), a popular blog cum Ezine featuring art news, events and articles. She is currently a Member Advisory Committee, National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore.
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