Indian artist Sagarika Sundaram creates unique textile sculptures, wall reliefs, and instalations using only naturally sourced fibers and dyes. During the meticulous process of producing them, for the artist, the most important thing is the connection with nature. Thus, her artworks draw inspiration from careful observation of natural phenomena which she recreates in the form of handmade textiles that generate power and presence.
Currently on view at Palo Gallery is Sundaram's debut solo exhibition entitled Source. Featured are large-scale wall-based and free-standing felted pieces created by using textile arts that trace back their origin to ancient times. Sundaram said:
"My material, my way of making, traces of lineage of markers spanning 15,000 years. Through my work, I'm looking for our shared fingerprint."
In Harmony With Nature
For Sundaram, there is nothing more important than creating from a place that is in complete harmony with nature. Thus, often, when viewing works of art that use excessive amounts of mined metal or foam and plastic, she is unable to enjoy them. The only thing on her mind is what happens to these pieces when the work is deemed dead. Where does it end up?
Thus, the process of making one of her exceptional pieces begins long before felting, weaving, or dyeing. The artist traces back the lineage of the raw materials that often come from places with a long tradition of producing them, such as pastoral nomadic growers in the Himalayas and Hudson Valley. She carefully researches the fiber's connection not only with people but also with animals, plants, and places themselves.
Natural Materials
Once she chooses the yak, alpaca, or sheep fiber, it is time to dye it. However, Sundaram never uses artificial colors and instead always goes for natural colors extracted from leaves, roots, and rhizomes. Creating one of her unique pieces is quite an intricate process, and she would often wear it to activate the work with her body and uncover new meanings. The process of producing one of the pieces can be traced back some 15,000 years ago, originating from the region Mesopotamia, from where it spread to numerous places around the world.
Source features several multi-layered textile compositions and a series of complex, three-dimensional hanging installations that bind together organic and constructed forms. Inspired by the natural imagery, they dwell on the impossibility of separating the human from nature and the exterior from the interior, suggesting the intertwined nature of reality. Sundaram said:
"I use abstraction to reinterpret textile as mutant, botanical, and pscyhedelic forms. By estranging what is familiar, I create work that posseses its own unique life."
Source At Palo Gallery
A full-color catalog edited by curator Andrew Gardner and anthropologist and curator Vyjayanthi Rao was published to coincide with the exhibition.
The exhibition Sagarika Sundaram: Source at Palo Gallery in New York will be on view until February 4th, 2024.
