EXHIBITION "Weaving Labyrinths: A Ritual of Mark-Making and Soft Sculptures" by Nandini Hasija at Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg > 22nd to 31st May 2017

Artworks by Nandini Hasija

Time : 
22nd May : 6:00 pm Add to Calendar 22/05/2017 18:00 22/05/2017 19:00 Asia/Kolkata Opening of "Weaving Labyrinths: A Ritual of Mark-Making and Soft Sculptures" by Nandini Hasija Event Page : http://www.delhievents.com/2017/05/exhibition-weaving-labyrinths-ritual-of.html Triveni Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi - 110001 DD/MM/YYYY - Opening
23rd to 31st May : 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (Sunday Closed)  Add to Calendar 23/05/2017 11:00 31/05/2017 19:00 Asia/Kolkata EXHIBITION "Weaving Labyrinths: A Ritual of Mark-Making and Soft Sculptures" by Nandini Hasija Event Page : http://www.delhievents.com/2017/05/exhibition-weaving-labyrinths-ritual-of.html Triveni Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi - 110001 DD/MM/YYYY - Exhibition on View

Entry : Free

Venue : Triveni Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205, Tansen Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi - 110001

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Area : Mandi House Area 

Event Description : EXHIBITION "Weaving Labyrinths: A Ritual of Mark-Making and Soft Sculptures" by Nandini Hasija

About the Art Work - An identity rooted in Nurture and Nature
This body of work attempts to explore the development of identity of an individual based on an adoptive mother-daughter relationship. According to scholars, an “identity” has many different dimensions. While one is a person’s conscious sense of his or her identity, another is an sub-conscious sense of a timeline that the person will travel through. Still another is the maintenance of a person’s solidarity with the ideals of the group(s) to which s/he belongs.  Identity formation is an ongoing process that begins at the earliest stages of growth, comes into ascendance during adolescence, and becomes a guidepost throughout the rest of adulthood. Identity develops as an accumulation of influential factors such as race, sex, gender, geographical bearings, relationships, or being adopted.

This present exhibition focuses upon the development of identity, based the artist’s own experiences as an adopted child and reflects the powerful mother-daughter bond that shaped her adoptive identity. The art work is a journey of her search for an identity. It expresses a duality that grows from the combination of an identity rooted in nurture and nature and it is this duality of identity that is reflected through her drawings and sculptures.

While explaining her art making, Nandini says, “This process of (art) making and conceiving grants me a maternal relationship with the art object that mimics the relationship that I have with my own mother. It’s the act of weaving myself through relationships - those which are mine and those which I create, that gives me a secured yet dual sense of self.”

This exhibition features 15 drawings and 5 sculptures which have been made between November 2015 to January 2017. The art work focuses on the contemporary approaches to drawing in which Nandini Hasija has created two lines of work, one comprising of graphite on paper and the other of self woven sculptures of jute.

The striking feature in this work is the attempt to develop images of intertwined lines and forms from two dimensional surfaces to a three dimensional surface areas. The process of making these drawings is satiated by a sense of immediacy and repetition which are two characteristics also maintained in the weaving and making of the soft sculptures. The two lines of work are different from one another in their medium and form, but the artist has been able to unify the two contradictory forms by bringing them together.

The Mark - Making  and the Sculptures

The exhibition is an autobiographical journey in which the artist attempts to find herself. Nandini says, “Initially I began by drawing surrealistic illustrations of nature in its natural environment , elephants in a tangled web of trees, snakes, octopuses and flowers.  As I continuously drew and observed these lines, the silhouette of this fully formed imagery blurred appearing as a labyrinth-like formation.”

The 15 drawings are display a combination of lines and their relationship with each other. The lines intertwine sometimes moving towards each and sometimes moving away  … as human relationships  intertwine... sometimes light and sometimes deep and dark.  The drawings have a personal nature and are reflection of the energy of the artist’s mind in search  of answers. She has exploited the visual elements by developing forms and entities that are devoid of formal representational qualities.

The 5 sculptures depict the next stage of the artist’s journey. Here jute has been used depict the shifting of the identity between the birth identity and  the adoptive identity based upon how the artist  has been raised and finally  the coming together of both identities. These are displayed through three main types of sculptures - pure natural form of jute,  secondly in complete dyed jute and then those with a varying combination of natural jute and dyed jute.

While explaining the medium of jute and the use of dyed jute,  Nandini says, “ jute serves as a dual metaphor for the identity of my mother and my sense of self residing within her.  Its earthly origin and raw nature makes it my choice for depiction of feelings. Jute is also symbolic of the sari, a garment regularly worn by my mother, and a piece of clothing that I associate with her from my childhood years. The relevance of repeatedly dyeing every single strand of jute in a mixture of turmeric and milk refers to a fond memory my mother and I shared during my adolescent years. My mother would insist on my applying a face pack of turmeric and milk every day after school in an attempt to cure sunburn. From being a chore that I had to abide by every day, it became a cherished moment of bonding while watching T.V, reading a book or just talking about the day. This sort of became a ritual during my high school years - it was that one hour of recuperating after a long day at school and right before several hours of tuition. It also gave my mother an opportunity to talk to me about things aside from school work and grades.”

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