Sheela Gowda
dal 17/1/2011 al 11/3/2011
Segnalato da
17/1/2011
Sheela Gowda
Rivington Place, London
Therein & Besides. Artist's new work is made up of thousands of wooden chips, roughly carved by craftsmen into votive objects. They form part of a composition of larger frames and doors painted emerald green, peppermint, pink and off-white which also reveal the marks of weathering and infestation by insects.
Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) is proud to present the first solo exhibition in the UK by Bangalore based artist Sheela Gowda at Rivington Place, including a new commission. One of the leading artistic figures of her generation (b. 1957), Gowda is known for creating large-scale sculptural installations. She takes everyday materials as the starting point for works that combine abstract forms with references to society.
Having trained as a painter, in the early 1990s, Gowda moved into sculpture and installation. She has formed a visual language which responds to the complexity of the contemporary world, including its violence and contradictions.
'I work towards layers of meaning while trimming the form to the extent possible, where the reference or the source is suggested but not stated literally.' Sheela Gowda
The new work, Untitled (2010), is made up of thousands of wooden chips, roughly carved by craftsmen into votive objects. They form part of a composition of larger frames and doors painted emerald green, peppermint, pink and off-white which also reveal the marks of weathering and infestation by insects. Here the artist balances form, perception and legibility, simultaneously holding a number of elements in play.
Collateral (2007) was made by rolling, arranging and burning incense on mesh frames to produce intricate patterns. This sculpture of ash has a fragmented and broken appearance which suggests a landscape ravaged by war.
Past work includes And tell him of my pain (1998), in which a long cord was produced from many individual threads coated with glue and kum kum (a red dye used for body adornment and rituals). This invokes the internal organs of the body, a Pollock drip painting and artisan labour.
In Kagebangara (2007), Gowda sourced tar drums from road workers and used these alongside yellow and blue plastic tarpaulins to form an abstract sculpture. A narrative unfolds that refers to the shelters used by migrant construction workers.
While Gowda has participated in many curated group exhibitions, this individual appraisal is an opportunity for the artist to appear on her own terms.
Editor's notes
Biography
Born in Bhadravati, India, in 1957, Sheela Gowda lives and works in Bangalore, India. Group exhibitions include in 2009 Textiles: Art and Social Fabric, MuKHA, Antwerp, Provisions, Sharjah Biennial, and Making Worlds, 53rd Venice Biennale; in 2008-2010 Indian Highway, Serpentine Gallery, London, travelled to Astrup Museum, Oslo and Herning Museum of Contemporary Art; in 2008-09 India Moderna, IVAM Museum, Valencia, Spain; in 2008 Santhal Family, MuKHA, Antwerp; in 2007 Horn Please, Kunstmuseum, Bern, Documenta 12, Kassel, and the Lyon Biennale; in 2005 Indian Summer - Contemporary Art from India, Ecole de Beaux Arts, Paris; in 2003 City Park, Project, Dublin; in 2002 Moving Ideas - Secular Practice, Gallery La Centrale, Montreal and Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; in 2000 Drawing Space, organised by Iniva, at Beaconsfield Gallery, London and Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham; in 1998 Private Mythology, The Japan Foundation, Tokyo; in 1996 Traditions/Tensions, Asia Society/Queens Museum, New York, travelled to Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, and in 1995 Africus, South African Biennale, Johannesburg.
Solo exhibitions include in 2010 Postulates of Contiguity, Office For Contemporary Art (OCA), Oslo, and Behold, NAS Gallery, Sydney; in 2008 Touching Base, Museum Gouda, and Crime Fiction, GALLERYSKE, Bangalore; in 2006 Bose Pacia Gallery, New York; in 2004 On Earth and in Heaven, GALLERYSKE, Bangalore; in 1993 Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore and Gallery Chemould, Bombay; in 1989 Yelwala, Mysore and Gallery 7, Bombay; in 1987 Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore.
About Iniva
Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) engages with new ideas and emerging debates in the contemporary visual arts, reflecting in particular the cultural diversity of contemporary society. We work with artists, curators, creative producers, writers and the public to explore the vitality of visual culture. (http://www.iniva.org/) Iniva is supported by Arts Council England.
About Rivington Place
Opened in 2007, Rivington Place is Iniva and Autograph ABP's contemporary visual arts space and the UK's first permanent public space dedicated to culturally-diverse visual arts and photography. The building has been realised with thanks to funding from the Arts Council England Lottery Capital 2 Programme and Barclays, the Rivington Place founding Corporate Partner.
Image: And... installation view, Documenta 12 Kassel 2007
Press contact:
Clare Roebuck, Head of Communications: croebuck@iniva.org or tel 020 77491247
Sheena Balkwill, Press & Marketing Co-ordinator sbalkwill@iniva.org or tel 020 77491246
or call 0207 7491246 press@iniva.org
Press view: 18 January 2011, 10am-12 noon
Rivington Place
London, EC2A 3BA
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