Breaking Ground: India's first triennale brings together ceramic artists from across the globe
The ceramics exhibition in Jaipur has set the ground for a continuing three-year cycle of art shows that will display work created out of the medium of clay
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Neha Kudchadkar’s Somethingpolis is a city made out of terra cota, clay, ink and many other materials. A city she says is a living, growing and breathing entity and is a document-er of stories and histories. Kudchadkar’s ceramic city is one among the many clay artworks displayed in the international ceramics exhibition titled Breaking Ground at the Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur. All images courtesy: Shine Bhola and Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur
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The exhibit under the Indian Ceramics Triennale, was launched on 31 August and will be on display until 18 November. One of the featured artworks here includes the stoneware, porcelain and earthenware, The Broken Promised by Shirley Bhatnagar. Through her work — a table laid out for tea with defunct pot handles, forks and spoons with spikes that are of no use to anyone — she illustrates her ideas about the statements made by leaders the world over which are nothing but broken promises.
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Benitha Perciyal’s Let Them Own Their Land is a portrayal of the distressed and the displaced trying to hold on to their own land. Benitha is among many Indian artists whose works were selected for the exhibit. Breaking Ground also features 12 international artists whose creations have been displayed in the exhibit organised in collaboration with the Contemporary Clay Foundation.
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The Triennale is an attempt to showcase both, experimental and experiential art, ranging from raw, unfired clay to interactions with digital technologies. Weathered Rock After The Rain by PR Daroz is a stoneware that captures the depth and scale of a subterranean site. Daroz was honoured with the National Academy Award for ceramics by the Lalit Kala Akademi and has represented India in the 4th World Ceramic Biennale in Korea among other international exhibitions.
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Partha Dasgupta’s Recollection of a Manuscript (left), ceramic wooden boards pasted with lithographs and iron fittings are also on display at the Jawahar Kala Kendra along with the terracotta hollow block and cement work by LN Tallur titled Man Exhibiting Holes (right). Indian artists were selected for the exhibition through a nationwide open call and have on display several works that highlight social issues.
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Priya Sundaravalli’s Blossoming - Being all of them, She stands there, is a stoneware with acrylic, glassware and steel. The work is inspired by Thiruvaimozhi, a collection of Tamil hymns by the 9th-century Alvar saint, Nammalvar. One of the hymns praises the Divine, “this man, that woman and these things, being all of them, He stands there.”
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Ester Beck from Israel in a performance-based work, Matter is a Centre of Dreaming. The artwork is, in fact, a video piece shown in a loop, as she dismantles the finished sculptural vessel and the action starts over. Working with 4.5 tons of clay, she creates an abstract vessel sculpture from a massive block of clay.
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Sounds of the Pink City, the Irish artist Ingrid Murphy’s artwork has an IO Touch which enables discarded chai cups to become touch sensors that access the ambient sounds recorded across the old city. An image recognition software enables dinner plates to be scanned with a smart device to reveal dynamic 360-degree views of the city and its landmarks.
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Élodie Alexandre’s Post-partum and Atita Taware’s Little Wings Are More Than Enough (right) are also among the ceramics on display at the Triennale. While Atita’s stoneware is aimed at exploring topics around biodiversity degradation, endemic and endangered species and land conversions, Alexandre’s work explores episodes of the artist’s personal experience in connection to childbirth and post-partum depression. The Triennale has also scheduled workshops for adults and children, masterclasses and film screenings through the course of the exhibition.
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Do you know, what’s behind? by Danijela Pivašević-Tenner is created entirely out of found objects and local unfired red clay. Danijela raises questions about the values of daily objects and our relation to them. According to Danijela, the process of digging clay changes landscapes. She, therefore, chooses to use slip cast clay or porcelain in her artwork which can be recycled.
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Triveni Prasad Tiwari’s Seeds in a Ruined City aims to reflect the fragmented realities of urban life. He describes his work as a song about the chaos of his time, about abundance contrasting with desperation. Breaking Ground, has set the ground for a continuing three-year cycle of art shows to showcase work that emerges out of the medium of clay.
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