1x1 Art Gallery is delighted to announce its participation in Art Mumbai 2024, presenting an inspiring selection of works by six acclaimed artists: Chittrovanu Mazumdar, Himmat Shah, Rajnish Kaur, Sohan Qadri, Theo Pinto, and Zarina. This exhibition offers a rich exploration of spirituality, cultural connections, and the multifaceted nature of human experience.
Each artist brings a distinct perspective, utilizing varied mediums and techniques to express profound emotional and philosophical themes. The exhibition invites viewers into a thoughtful conversation about identity, heritage, and the complexities of existence, where art serves as a powerful medium to navigate the intricate layers of the human journey.
In Chittrovanu Mazumdar’s work, mechanical forms are invested with desire. This series of frames contains fragments of text, sheets of metal and tungsten bulbs. Each one presents its contents and tells a unique story. Mazumdar uses light as a medium, a tool to expose and conceal. The line between industrial and organic materials is blurred – between private and public, between sacred and profane. A transgression takes place, drawing together difference. Porcelain flower petals seem to sprout under artificial light and metallic surfaces are peeled back like skin to reveal their insides. The materials are elemental, like metal from the earth, but in the glow of light they turn to liquid. The works resist mastery; they seem almost unfinished. This urgency circulates: a thought interrupted, a trace of memory. Found objects are transformed into more than commodities. They are collected with purpose, imbedded with impressions, and deified in their altars.
Himmat Shah’s sculptures explore the interplay of form, space, and texture, where each piece serves as a meditation on the elemental qualities of matter. His practice is characterized by a meticulous attention to material, capturing a delicate balance between solidity and void. The use of bronze and terracotta invites viewers to contemplate the unseen forces shaping our world. The tactile surfaces, marked by the artist’s hand, evoke a sense of age and continuity, bridging the ancient and the contemporary. In the dance of light and shadow across his sculptures, Shah’s works transcend the physical, becoming vessels of introspection—echoing narratives of transformation, fragility, and resilience.
Rajnish Kaur’s compositions are vibrant explorations of color, spontaneity, and layered narratives. Drawing upon culturally embedded stories, she blends tradition with contemporary abstraction, creating works that reflect the complexities of existence. Her practice is deeply rooted in a sense of place and identity, with each piece serving as a convergence of personal and collective memories, evoking a rich tapestry of emotions and experiences. Through her dynamic use of color and form, Kaur captures the fluidity and unpredictability of life, expressing a sense of interconnectedness that resonates on both emotional and spiritual levels, inviting viewers to explore the delicate balance between chaos and harmony.
Sohan Qadri’s work is a visual extension of his meditative practices, deeply rooted in the spiritual traditions of Tantra and Buddhism. Using handmade paper as his medium of choice, he transforms each sheet into a work of rhythmic patterns and intricate perforations that reflect the transcendental aspects of his spiritual journey. His practice is a meditative act, where every mark, cut, and fold becomes a ritual, a silent dialogue with the divine. Through his choice of natural dyes and pigments, Qadri enhances the tactile, almost sculptural quality of his creations, infusing them with an organic warmth that makes each piece feel alive. The vibrant yet subtle hues, coupled with layered and perforated textures, create a sense of depth and movement, transforming flat surfaces into multi-dimensional meditative objects.
Zarina’s woodcut prints are defined by a minimalist approach, where simplicity becomes a profound medium for exploring themes of displacement, memory, and belonging. Working primarily with paper, wood, and metal, she crafts pieces that evoke a deep sense of nostalgia and a poignant yearning for a lost home. Her delicate lines and geometric forms are imbued with a quiet precision, capturing the essence of space and place, while conveying the fragile balance between presence and absence. Through the interplay of light and shadow, her works suggest the passage of time, invoking a sense of transience and impermanence. Each print becomes a meditation on identity, loss, and the longing for connection, offering a narrative that is both intimate and universal. Zarina’s minimalist aesthetics allow viewers to fill the empty spaces with their own memories and emotions, resonating with a quiet, contemplative strength that speaks to the shared experience of searching for belonging.
Theo Pinto’s practice is an exploration of the mysterious beauty of the natural phenomena of light, when day meets night and sky meets earth. The artist distills the subject down to its pure essence of light, invoking a sense of awe and reverence that prompts us to reflect on our universal connection to the divine. With his soft yet vibrant color palettes, Pinto strives to capture the dynamic energy and fluidity of the sky in a distinctive and abstract manner. Theo's artworks shift and adapt under varying light conditions. His paintings are not mere static images but living illustrations of life's ceaseless rhythm, vibrant with the dance of brilliance and shadow, emotion, and chroma.
