Sudarshan Shetty in Art Dubai...

4:27 p.m.

03/19/18 - In this new edition (number 14) of Art Dubai, 105 galleries present artists that are seldom found in the art market. One of them is Sudarshan Shetty (India, 1961), who can be seen at the Templon Gallery (from Paris and Bruxelles) and at the Leila Heller Gallery from New York, which has a space at the fair and headquarters in Alserkal, just outside of Dubai.

Untitled, by Sudarshan Shetty (2017)

Materials: recycled wood / Measures: 100.5 x 68.5 x 26.5 cm

Templon

Shetty can be considered a conceptual artist, and his artworks are enigmatic, hybrid and frequently blended with Western culture. In "Untitled" (2017), for example, we see a bird and a window made of recycled wood, which, because of the floral details, reminds us of India. On the other hand, his pots made with teak wood, typical of India, copy an antique Japanese technique (although it’s done with gold instead of wood). These ceramic urns, known as matkas, are used to carry water and for funerary rituals, symbolizing the physical body of the deceased. Shetty’s reconstruction pretends to represent the concept of frailty through a familiar object.

Untitled, by Sudarshan Shetty (2017)

Materials: teak wood and found ceramics / Different measures

Templon

Sudarshan Shetty

Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai

More enigmatic still are his installations, like this carpet that covers what seems to be a human body. Once again he uses wood, worked impeccably. The volume suggests new possibilities in sense and perception, although this idea is similar to a marble installation by Maurizio Cattelan.

Untitled, by Sudarshan Shetty (2015)

Recycled Wood / Measures: 243,8 x 183 x 27,9 cm

This and the following artwork were handcrafted and they both use a common object of India’s folklore: the small praying carpets. The recycled woods, found in markets, give the artwork a very particular quality since they carry in them the stories and histories of their past owners. These structures, however, transmit a sense of loneliness and absence. Shetty examines the death rituals. This is why he believes his group of artworks are part of an effort to understand the sense of emptiness caused by absence.