On the 26th of October, 2023, Ishara Art Foundation (Alserkal Avenue, Dubai) will hold a talk with Indian artist Sudarshan Shetty in conversation with independent researcher Sabih Ahmed, who is also the Associate Director and Curator of the organisation. The language spoken at this free of charge event will be English.
Only Life, Myriad Places, Shetty’s new solo show which is currently on view at Ishara Art Foundation, reflects his deep interest in musical and oral South Asian traditions. Telling the audience about his art, the key theme that will be explored in the talk is poetics of listening, a crucial element of Shetty’s practice. Among the discussed themes will also be echolocating. In particular, it is about how we locate ourselves in the world through listening and bring wider perspectives on acts of listening that art and literature invite viewers into.
About the artist
Sudarshan Shetty (b. 1961, Mangalore, India) is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist living and working in Mumbai (India). Initially trained as a painter at Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai, he was particularly interested in sculpture and installation, the mediums he subsequently chose as his primary ones. Later, Shetty also started employing video, sound, and performance in his practice.
In Shetty’s mysterious mixed media artworks (hybrid constructions, compositions, and mechanical devices), Indian and Western traditions are merged. The artist delves into the inner and exterior realms of mundane life. In his installations or assemblages, he often uses daily objects, attemptting to find new meanings and give these objects new life. Shetty’s art pieces highlight a constantly changing character of things by blurring the lines between dreams and the present, memories and fantasies.
Shetty is mostly inspired by Mumbai. He says that “the information for [his] work” often comes from his “day-to-day negotiation” with this diverse city. It serves as a background for his recordings of the unfolding human life.
The talk with Sudarshan Shetty will last from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. To get more information about the event and register, you should visit its official web page.
