Copper florets with a glinting red centre, complement a green, layered carpet of lotus leaves. The stray reds, in a gradient shade, draw one only a few seconds later as more foliage, all made in glass, waits to catch the eye. It is indeed a garden of secrets. A beautiful one at that.
If ‘more is more’ had a tangible manifestation, it would be this circular piece of glass art, made by artist Anjali Venkat. It is in this pseudo idiom that the glass artist thrives. Every single work of art at Apparao Gallery currently, demands a second, third and perhaps fourth look. Each look throws up something different. They are textured, and draw one in, inviting one to deliberate on these layers and what they could mean.
Opposite, is another beautifully crowded, symmetric circle, pregnant with leaves, neatly stacked one over the other, almost as thought they are caught in a gentle breeze.
“Everyday you look at it, you find something different,” says Anjali.
At Dance of the Five Elements — Fragments of Expression, glass becomes a mere conduit to understanding Nature and it’s ephemerality. Anjali draws from each element — earth, water, air, fire and space — to create glass and fabric art that embody the beauty and transience of Nature. Each room in the gallery is now home to the artist’s interpretation of each element.
Anjali Venkat
Anjali has been working with glass over the last 30 years. To work with a medium that is as stubborn as it is beautiful; as risky and prone to breakage as it is intriguing, is no mean feat. She says, “Without challenge, it’s simply no fun. I have been doing this because it is difficult.”
“It seems abstract and easy but every single piece of glass that’s put in, is made with intention,” she says. This show has been in the works for 11 months. Anjali, who now lives in Singapore, uses only reclaimed glass and fabric for her work. A lot of the glass is from used bottles, broken windows or offcuts sourced from stores.
Confluence
| Photo Credit:
special arrangement
Her interaction with fabric is more recent, and also sources from discards. Cascades of finely cut fabric, showing gradients of colour, make for a canvas inspired from the element of water. The fabric works are linear yet textured. There are curtains of transparent, thin slivers of glass that embody Air, or a roof of deep purple pieces of glass hung from above that represents Space and woven glass that resembles Water, that rely a lot on the physics and chemistry of the medium. “When I work with glass, there’s a little bit of science involved. In glass, fabrication is a skill.” adds Anjali.
The artist is often surprised with each creation. “With glass, you never know how it is going to turn out. While it’s in the kiln, it could break or change colour… But that’s the fun too,” she says, adding, “When the kiln gods favour you, something spectacular comes out without you expecting it.”
The Secret Garden
| Photo Credit:
special arrangement
On view at Apparao Galleries, Nungambakkam, until March 8
Published – February 27, 2025 01:17 pm IST
