Backwards and Forward

There is one work that stands out at the ongoing exhibition at Sakshi Gallery. Occupying one entire room of this Colaba gallery,Riyas Komu’s 2002 work,The Lost Resonance,is magnificent — to say the very least. Barring its size,the wood and metal installation has an undeniable ability to draw the viewer to it.

The Lost Resonance was first exhibited at Sakshi Gallery in 2002,as part of Komu’s solo show titled “Faith Accompli”,taking off from the French phrase fait accompli,which roughly translates to an event that has been completed and can’t be reversed. “The work is a celebration of Arabic calligraphy and,in a way,a reminder of the Gulf War,” says Geetha Mehra,director of the gallery. For that show,all of the onion-shaped bulbs and seemingly Arabic letters were displayed in one single line,on a 56-foot long wall. This time,the various pieces of the work are placed on the four walls of one room and constitute one large part of a group show “Looking Back,Looking Forward”. This show,which opened on Sunday,includes some old works and some new.

Among the new are two sculptures by the Baroda-based Rekha Rodwittiya. “These are her first sculptural works but she’s planning to do more,” says Mehra. An artist who focuses primarily on painting,Rodwittiya created a collection of sculptures called “Dream Text”,exhibited at Delhi’s India Art Fair earlier this year.

In a third room of the gallery are works by various artists including installations by Valay Shende and Sunil Gawde and photographs by Nandini Valli Muthiah. Shende’s installation is a glittery gold life-size pizza delivery scooter,a result of the artist’s observation of contemporary India. Gawde’s installation Still Alive,comprises four heart-shaped sculptures that represent a bruised and burnt heart that continues to beat despite itself. The only work on display that isn’t an installation — Muthiah’s series of photographs titled The Definitive Reincarnate — takes Lord Vishnu out of his time and put him in a modern setting. The show will continue till June 30.