The beauty of ceramic artist Rahul Kumar’s fresh off-the-wheel artwork, on display at New Delhi’s gallery exhibition 360, lies in expressing the obscure with original abstraction. Her 10th solo exhibition of ceramics, somewhere untold lives, a maze of emotional, literal and figurative expressions intended to “preserve the omitted and communicate the unsaid”. He says, “Is it not true that a sung song or an unposted letter lives somewhere? Sometimes hidden behind our bookshelves and often deep within our memories? to connect with — to ask ourselves what it means to assemble the broken, to be introverted, or to gather the pieces — literally and figuratively.
Protect series, stoneware clay, 2023; Rahul Kumar
A trained studio potter, Rahul is making a conscious effort to deviate from his past experiments with clay. Her focus has now shifted from molding the perfect pottery to conveying a sculpted narrative with textured wall mounts, boxes and installations. “I began to make my mark by transforming fully formed pot forms. My Masters which I earned on a Fulbright Scholarship equipped me to use the medium to express myself. I have played with scale in the past: created small-sized works and large-scale installations. I have used color and glitter extensively. With time, I started using clay and all its tedious processes as my only tool. What I do now Everything I do has storytelling at its core,” he shares.
Matrix, stoneware clay, gold foil, 2023; Rahul Kumar
Rahul believes that all good art rests on a solid foundation of craftsmanship. But the earlier craft and aesthetics assumed more importance in his creations. “Now, it is more important to express my views. Also, I was more interested in creating an experience in the show rather than just displaying objects.”
2 included, Stoneware Clay, 2023; Rahul Kumar | Photo credit: Neeraj Goswami
The exhibition, curated by Rubina Karode and designed by Prima Kurian, showcases over 58 artworks including four installations. In her essay describing Rahul’s works, Rubina writes: “His use of gibberish texts or letters/characters that melt and shatter is a deliberate attempt to trespass on the act of legibility and arrive at an incomprehensible script . For the artist, the need is felt to enter the realm of the ‘unspeakable’.
Textual expression pervades Rahul’s work through his journalistic journey of five years. He elaborates: “In my role as a journalist there is no room for the ambiguity of the written word. Subconsciously, the lessons seeped into my art as well. But this time free from any implied meaning. And this idea fits well with my search for the untold. There are two series that are reference texts – I Have a Secret to Tell and Pages from My Diary. ,
Pages of my diary (3), clay and porcelain colors on A3 paper, 2023; Rahul Kumar | Photo credit: Neeraj Goswami
The installation, Matrix, in the ongoing exhibition, finds its roots in an experimental work carried out in 2013/14. Among the most striking elements in the exhibition are the bits and pieces, sometimes arranged in boxes with tattered letters or broken sticks in a mesh-like structure.
“I was completing a work by cutting a slab of clay. The remaining ‘negative’ pieces looked like a foreign script. It caught my attention and I wondered what it was trying to say. From which a whole series was formed. Similarly, a 2012 show by a contemporary artist where he used squishy metal utensils stayed in my mind as a scene, then revisited my 2015 experiment in an introverted space for The Matrix. For squeezing freshly made utensils. Clay on paper I think is a unique use of the medium in the age from my diary,” he describes.
Installation done by Rahul Kumar
When it comes to placing ceramic art in the wider ambit of commercial art, Rahul feels that potters are much more dedicated to their craft. “This is not a problem in itself, but it is futile to expect the ‘contemporary art world’ to adopt these as works of art. The medium never defines art. It is the intention with which it is used. that determines where it should be classified,” he signs off.
Stacked 1, Stoneware Clay, 2023; Rahul Kumar | Photo credit: Neeraj Goswami
somewhere untold lives The exhibit is on view until April 28 at 320. Admission is free.