The City as a Narrative

For a long time,Charmi Gada Shah lived next to neighbours in Mumbai who had a tree growing in the middle of their house,which they would cut every time it sprouted. When they moved out,the tree spread its roots with much tenacity,breaking all the white tiles in the blue-walled bathroom. “I delve into the idea that every place has a character and the architecture of that place punctuates it. I live in and around these places where reconstructions are taking place in spaces that are irreplaceable,” says the 32-year-old artist,as she talks about her inspired sculpture in which a totem pole rips apart,in circular motion,a structure with white tile base.

Not so far away,33-year-old artist Sujith SN absorbs the ever-changing cityscape of Mumbai and visualises it as a micro-civilisation. The idea of civilisation inspired Psalms of an Invisible River,a poetic work in watercolour in which this metaphorical river is,amid all the global and urban issues,static,“almost invisible”. “Before I did my Bachelor of Fine Arts,I was a draftsman. So,as an artist,I use the idea of the mechanic forms associated with architecture,along with the organic ones that come with art. I connect these with various issues and stories I find in Mumbai,” says Sujith.

Presenting simultaneous solo shows at Vadehra Art Gallery on August 17,the two Mumbai-based artists are 2011 FICA (The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art) Emerging Artist award winners and reflect unique interpretations of architecture and use it as an unconventional medium to tell their stories. Shah’s Neighbourhood Souvenirs comprise eight works,which involves what she calls “architectural sculptures” along with photo installations,which are her documentations of demolished buildings since 2008.

On the other hand,Sujith’s Psalms of an Invisible River is a series of 13 watercolour-based stories of people walking on this tile of a “river”,overshadowed by a forest of buildings. Working around a recurring theme of civilisation and its path to violence,Sujith uses the river metaphor in vivid and gloomy colours,some with accidental blotches retained. “In the end,you just reach a point of abstraction,which is a reflection on this static river,” says Sujith.

The exhibitions will be on at Vadehra Art Gallery,D-53,Defence Colony,from August 17 to September 12. Contact: 46103550/51