When given an entire building as canvas to work on, the result is very different from works or art that are viewed inside a gallery.
Seven artists and two collectives have come together to transform the building at Khoj Studio to create a multi-sensory experience between the artwork and the structural form it occupies, with a number of multi-media works exploring light, colour, shape, size and other unusual material that stick out against the white backdrop of the building.
The exhibition, titled “Activating Space: A Sculptural Enquiry”, plays with shadows, threads, metal, drawings, mirrors, water and video to build the installations.
One of the standout installations at the exhibition has been created by Lleah Smith and James Gat, who are a part of art collective Dandelion based in Sydney, Australia. The work, titled “Oasis”, features a staircase laden with paper flowers and plastic bags filled with coloured water scattered on the rooftop. The artists say in Indian life is undeniably chaotic, and full of commotion and loud noises. Rooftops in the country, however, offer a momentary escape into a solo space for contemplation and silence. Therefore, they have created the floral steps that lead towards the rooftop, which promises a calm oasis from the chaos of the city.
The other artists include Gagan Singh, Pooja Iranna, Priyamwada Singh, Samrudh Dixit, Sanket Jadia, Shaily Gupta and Henri Fanthome, Sikan Kumar Panda, and Teja Gavankar.
Another work that has completely changed the look of the building is Priyamwada Singh’s chime-like installation, titled “Time Traces”, which is an experiential trace of Khoj through time. The installation has been placed right at the entrance. Samrudh Dixit’s works play with shadows, while Sanket Jadia’s mirror installation is an attempt at making the viewer and not the object the central focus of the work.
The exhibition is on at Khoj Studio in Khirki Extension till May 15.
