Ranjani Shettar

Ranjani Shettar  - National Gallery Victoria

I went to the National Gallery Victoria last week and fell upon this show, I've never heard of the Indian artist Ranjani Shettar before but I was pretty impressed with her work. It's been ages since I've been to see some proper 'art' in a gallery so it was very refreshing to find something I could connect too.

'Heliotropes'

Some of her work reminded me of Louise Bourgeois - her use of organic globular forms which had a sensuality about them. She uses a wide range of media very successfully, the use of natural materials which have a semi permanent quality particularly interest me as I like that they are constantly evolving and changing with the environment so in theory are never complete.

This piece is mainly made of vulcanised latex which is one of my favourite materials to use, I love that the rubber darkens with age and eventually will start to decompose, giving the work a 'shelf life' as it were. However it could also develop into something much more interesting as it ages and become a whole new piece in itself. 

'Sun Sneezers Blow Light Bubbles'

The shadows cast all over the floor and walls turn the gallery space into a canvas which totally envelops you in the piece as soon as you enter the room. This piece is steel, muslin, tamarind kernal paste and lacquer, again I love the organic materials and,  similar to latex, the non colour - the piece is an unbleached ochre hue which almost isn't a colour at all. Like the shade of unbleached calico and natural latex, it has a air of some sort of bodily secretion or something biological that I can't quite put my finger on. The tamarind paste and lacquer work together in the piece, there is a hand made aesthetic which I think really adds to it, although the materials also contradict each other. The tamarind evokes thoughts of earthyness and decomposing similar to the latex, however the lacquer confuses this with the idea of preservation and varnishing.