Mumbai and New York-based contemporary artist Sharmistha Ray’s first sculptural installation, On The Seashore Of Endless Worlds is one of the focal points of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2015. We caught up with the artist to find out what went into making of this 135 sq ft creation.
She’s using steel as a canvas
A few months ago, Ray approached prominent art patron and industrialist Sangita Jindal with the concept of a steel sculpture with painted elements. Jindal facilitated the making of the work by putting a team from Jindal Steel Works (JSW) into place to assist the artist in making her vision come to life.
She conceptualised enough to cover 135 sq ft of steel
The sculpture measures approximately 14 (L) x 5 (W) x 12 (H) feet and consists of over 3.5 tonnes of steel, which was provided by the JSW steel factory at Dolvi, Maharashtra. The sculpture was made in Mumbai under the close supervision of the artist and company’s core team. Ray then painted the work, and covered a surface area of 135 sq ft.
She essentially imagined a painting in 3D
“I started to think about how a painting can occupy a three-dimensional space, but I wanted to stay true to the essence [of the medium]. That’s how I came up with the idea of my first painted, sculptural installation,” says Ray. Imagine a magnificent crescent moon sitting atop Ray’s abstract interpretation of the seashore merging with a restless sea. The four sides of the base are independent paintings that are variations of the theme. To Ray, the piece evokes the innocence of childhood, trips to the seashore, and the infinite nature of the ocean. “The crescent moon is both waxing and waning, depending on which side you view the work from, and represents two ends of a cycle – the beginning and the end.”
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is on from February 7-15. Kalaghodaassociation.com
