"Navjot Altaf - Horn in the Head" an exhibition of sculptures in Wood at Talwar Gallery, C-84 Neeti Bagh > 27th September 2013 to 4th January 2014
Time :
27th September : 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - Opening
28th November to 4th January : 11:00 am - 7:00 pm - Exhibition on View
Entry : Free
Place : Talwar Gallery, C-84 Neeti Bagh, New Delhi - 110049
Event Description : 'Navjot Altaf - Horn in the Head' an exhibition of sculptures in Wood. This is the first exhibition in a decade which features exclusively a body of wood sculptures by the artist.
In her latest work, Navjot brings to light the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the ongoing social, cultural, and environmental changes in the world. This body of work continues the artist’s exploration of the way myth and communal belief intersect with everyday life. The three-part installation, A Woman & Two Donkeys, references a particular mythical creature: a three-legged donkey found in ancient Sassanian culture, which figures in the creation of Ormuzd, the supreme deity of Zoroastrianism. An icon of the beneficent forces and elements of nature, the three-legged ass purifies the stagnant water of the Caspian Sea, polluted by the creatures of Ahriman, the lord of evil and ignorance. Although contrasting sharply with this godlike creature, the sight of an injured, ill-treated donkey at a construction site near the Mithi River where it merges with the Arabian Sea, brought to mind for the artist Ormuzd’s mythic animal. In this work, a female figure walks alongside both a three-legged and a four-legged donkey, which acknowledges its three-legged counterpart for its mythological attributions. Here, the artist points out her desire to associate with the likeminded, rekindling the essence of the original myth to explore the way arts from the past and present infuse our daily experience.
Through her creative practice, the artist often engages with the possibility of different knowledge systems, as opposed to a single and linear logic. Her work titled Agkuklios Paidea - which means “learning to articulate the disjointed points of view of knowledge into an active cycle” – emerges from the desire for an open dialogue/exchange, involving a somewhat more complex dynamic of listening and speaking. The two female figures in the piece, though oriented differently, signify an attempt at communication – bringing to light the importance of engaging in dialogue in order to come to a perspective where multiple points of view can be envisioned.
As an artist, Navjot often harnesses the power of forgotten myths to draw parallels between the real (the current) and the mythical (the past). Fueled by an engagement with the social and political realities of her contemporary context, Navjot has made a consistent effort to re-examine the accepted values and traditions that structure human relationships. Frequently collaborating on projects that merge the artistic, the environmental, and the social, she moves beyond existing disciplinary boundaries. Her ongoing projects with the indigenous artists and local communities in Bastar stress the importance of perpetual reinvention and engagement with the unfamiliar.
Navjot Altaf was born in 1949 in Meerut, India. Her works have been featured in exhibitions and institutions worldwide, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (2013); Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, (2012 -2013); Frost Art Museum, Florida, US (2009-2010); The Newark Museum, NJ (2007-08); The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN (2008-09); The Rose Art Museum, MA (2007); XV Sydney Biennale, Australia (2006); VIII Havana Biennial, Cuba (2003); Tate Modern, London, UK (2001); and the first Fukuoka Asian Art Triennial, Japan (1999). She has also participated in several interactive, cooperative, and collaborative projects at venues including Carnegie Mellon Galleries, Pittsburgh, PA (2005), Bolton Museum, Lancashire, UK (2001 – 03) and Bastar (1997 – ).
Navjot Altaf currently lives and works in Bastar (Central India) and Mumbai, India.
Related Events : Exhibitions
"Navjot Altaf - Horn in the Head" an exhibition of sculptures in Wood at Talwar Gallery, C-84 Neeti Bagh > 27th September 2013 to 4th January 2014
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Saturday, January 04, 2014
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