Friday, December 22, 2017 @ 6:30PM
About the work:
Walls carry memories. They are mute witnesses to the passage of time. Just as memories collect and fade to be overridden by new memories, traces on walls recall the familiar in an undefined way. Remnants of the past linger, enabling a nostalgic journey through time, into the imagination. For some time now, my muse has been the shabby, rundown walls of buildings in my city, Mumbai – walls without history, character or evident beauty; functional, yet filled with traces of time etched onto their surfaces.
With a view to extending my work to another city, I came to Bangalore. Here, I learned about the administration’s wall beautification project. Local artists painted murals recalling memories of Karnataka’s cultural and natural habitat. The wall paintings, meant to serve as a deterrent to defacement, however, have since been marred in many parts of the city, and also undergone natural degradation. When Suresh Jayaram suggested that I photograph these painted walls of Bangalore, I was a bit doubtful but decided to give it a try despite my reservations. To my surprise and delight, this exploration has given a whole new look and feel to my work. Whilst the process that I follow is the same, the resultant images are quite different from those I made in Mumbai.
My work records both memory and change. Change ensues from the many interventions that happen over a period of time. Layers of paint, posters, dirt, and grime accumulated one on top of the other undergo various kinds and stages of degradation. Their transition through time is both imperceptible and insidious – gradually changing form. The beauty of the resultant visual is easily overlooked. It is overshadowed by the overtly soiled walls that turn away the gaze of the viewer. My photographs attempt to capture that which is overlooked – the beauty of the passage of time on walled surfaces – evoking memory, erasure, and transience simultaneously.
About Shanthi Kasiviswanathan :
I was drawn to the arts from a young age but decided to pursue art as a profession only in 2009 after leaving a successful corporate career. I completed my M.F.A degree in painting (2015), and my B.F.A degree (2013) from the Sir J.J. School of Fine Arts in Mumbai. I am a university rank holder and have also won awards whilst at art school.
In 2015, I had my first exhibition as a professional artist at the Jehangir Art Gallery. I have also participated in a few group exhibitions in India. In 2016, I was selected by the Piramal Art Foundation for their residency program in Thane. More recently, I showcased my work at a collateral event during the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2017, called Kalasamuha, organized by the Srishti school of design and supported by Srishti gallery. I was drawn to the arts from a young age but decided to pursue art as a profession only in 2009 after leaving a successful corporate career. I completed my M.F.A degree in painting (2015), and my B.F.A degree (2013) from the Sir J.J. School of Fine Arts in Mumbai. I am a university rank holder and have also won awards whilst at art school.
