Each year Art Heritage organizes an exhibition entitled On the Threshold of Time to promote young, emerging talent. This edition of Threshold has been titled Unseen. Here 5 young artists – Bhuwal Prasad, Natasha Sachdeva, Amit Saha, Tarun Sharma and Pallavi Singh – look within themselves, unearthing personal journeys that for some resulted in deeply introspective, inward-facing works, while for others result in academic narratives. Themes of gender, identity, isolation, community, helplessness, compassion and materiality are pervasive in the works. Today, as we are in the thick of the Covid pandemic, we are asked to think not only of ourselves, but also of others, and about the multi-dimensional impact of the ongoing crisis – given this, these works are timely and relevant.

Natasha Sachdeva’s watercolours explore large female bodies – those with “baggage” as she notes – and draws on her own experiences of dramatic weight gain and then loss as a result of her medical condition. Tarun Sharma on the other hand, reaches out to those who have been largely neglected by society, bringing their stories and plight into sharp focus as part of his series, “Helplessness – A Common Thread Running Through Our Society”. These works are a result of a significant change in him after a bout with a serious respiratory condition. Bhuwal Prasad’s massive work – some surrealistic and dream-like – weave together personal memories and are also indicative of the strong aversion he has to the pursuit of materiality in today’s society.

Pallavi Singh and Amit Saha take on the role of sociologists/academicians, if you may. Pallavi explores metrosexuality in modern day India, tracing its roots back to Indian mythology and studying its evolution through time. She further explores the impact that commerce and advertising have played in bringing grooming and beautification into the masculine realm. Similar to Pallavi’s work, Amit plays the role of an anthropologist, immersing himself in the transgender community. His experiences and observations result in works that bring to audiences that which is not readily visible about this community – their aspirations, struggles and triumphs.

Taken together works in Unseen remind us that an artist’s journey begins from the self, either through a look within or a commentary on what is immediately around them. It is in such perspectives where a worldview and a narrative develops, and affords us, the audience, a glimpse into the artistic process.

Date

28 Sep - 31 Oct 2020

Artists

Bhuwal Prasad, Natasha Sachdeva, Amit Saha, Tarun Sharma, Pallavi Singh

Medium

Various

Related Activities

www.artsy.net/show/art-heritage-on-the-threshold-of-time-8-unseen