Curated by Meera Menezes
COSMIC SEEDS
Munem Wasif’s Seeds shall set us free is a series of cyanotype prints of rice seeds that, at first glance, is reminiscent more of planetary systems and galaxies. The white marks on deep blue backgrounds could just as well be a smattering of stars across a firmament, a shooting meteor or the formation of celestial bodies. Wasif collapses the macrocosm with the microcosm, drawing attention to the seeds that, though infinitesimally small, have the potential to nourish and sustain mankind. In doing so he manages to transform the quotidian into something otherworldly.
Munem Wasif’s Seeds shall set us free is a series of cyanotype prints of rice seeds that, at first glance, is reminiscent more of planetary systems and galaxies. The white marks on deep blue backgrounds could just as well be a smattering of stars across a firmament, a shooting meteor or the formation of celestial bodies. Wasif collapses the macrocosm with the microcosm, drawing attention to the seeds that, though infinitesimally small, have the potential to nourish and sustain mankind. In doing so he manages to transform the quotidian into something otherworldly.
How does architecture reflect the times we live in and how does it, in turn, transform over time? What gets eroded and what is resilient? What stories do these structures reveal to us and what still lies buried? These are some of the questions that artists grapple with as they observe their urban surroundings. Rathin Barman trains his gaze on the modern built environment to arrive at an understanding of its sociopolitical history. He is interested in what architectural forms tell us about ourselves and society. Of particular interest to him is the metamorphosis of the urban landscape as it responds to the arrival of people into the city over time. His works are suggestive of architectural drawings with their focus on linearity and precision.
Contour lines mark Remen Chopra W. Van Der Vaart’s large-scale undulating landscape, its terracotta hues evocative of the plan of an ancient city. Chopra is known for layering her works, creating palimpsests in the process. She often starts with real maps and then transforms them into imagined typographies. In this installation, she layers recycled reddish wood fibre sheets, the colour suggestive of the earth and its maternal aspects. Equally, the layers appear like accretions of sediments, space and time.
