Ishara Art Foundation is now holding the solo exhibition of Navjot Altaf, Indian multidisciplinary artist and feminist, titled Pattern. It will be open to the public until the 9th of December, 2022.
At the exhibition, the artworks created since 2015, the year of the United Nations Climate Change Conference and the Paris Climate Accords, are on display. In the exhibited art pieces, Navjot combined the new and traditional forms of depicting serious ecological problems to reflect on how we think about our planet’s future.
There are six artworks at the exhibition. In one of them, Seriousness of Issues, bold lines track several indices of ecological disasters collected since 2011. The work is updated using new data released by scientific organisations. Seeing the environment presented in such an abstract way, we fail to fully grasp the horrendously high level of devastation which extreme industrialization has been causing.
The main piece of the exhibition, Pattern, is an installation made out of red rice displayed on the floor; it is modelled on an indigenous weaving pattern. The installation symbolises the strong link between artistic expression, occupation and livelihood and the dependence on the earth among farmers that have lost their land to mining companies.
At the exhibition, Navjot will also present her new two-volume book “Navjot at Work” and “Artist’s Notes”. Besides, there will be physical and virtual tours available, educational and public programmes; a commissioned text by Zasha Colah and artist conversation.
About the artist
Navjot Altaf, born in 1949, Meerut, now lives and works between Mumbai and Bastar. Her art practice includes painting, photography, sculpture, installation, video, site-specific works, research and activism.
In 1990’s, Navjot moved to Bastar (Central India) from Bombay. There, she became one of the founders of Dialogue Interactive Artists Association and worked with indigenous communities that witnessed how devastating deforestation, mining, pollution and displacement are. Collaborating with artists, activists, and organisations, in her art Navjot explores and reflects the connections between human exploitation and big environmental issues.
Navjot’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, including Tate Modern (London), the National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi), at the XV Sydney Biennale (Sydney), and at the Talwar Gallery in New York City and New Delhi.
To learn more about the Pattern exhibition, please visit its official web page.
You might also be interested in visiting Fragility, Pom Mullan’s exhibition, and INVISIBLE LABORS daydream therapy by Sophia Al-Maria.
