Change is the only constant thing in the world and Delhi-based artists Pankaj Guru and Priyanka Gupta along with Netherlands-based artist Eleni Stoelinga-Tsiapara reflect upon this idea in their latest showcase—Confluences Without Ends—using sculptures. Some of the art pieces translate this idea literally while others, metaphorically.
In one of the works, Sky With No Limits, the trio has translated the meaning literally using threads and water to create the artwork which changes its colours in a short span of time. This change, Guru says, happens due to the capillary action.
“It's true that the artwork keeps on changing colours and this signifies that despite being a complete work of art, there is no end to it. In today's times, too, due to the presence of internet, information travels. Despite borders, intermingling of knowledge is a continuous process. Just like sky's colours are constantly changing, the threads of these artworks also change and that's why it has been titled Sky With No Limits,” he explains.
With a total of 14 pieces on display, the mediums used vary from thread, water, paper, plastic and bronze. The mediums have been chosen based on the theme the work reflects. For instance, an untitled piece made by Tsiapara reflects the choice of medium used by the artist viz-a-viz the selection of theme. Elena explains that since the idea was to show that plastic eventually degrades nature, small pieces of paper were used.
“Since I was trying to depict the slow conversion of plastic and the ways it degrades the nature and causes pollution, I used small pieces of paper to create the entire sculpture and show the step by step process of degradation. So even when we are in the process of recycling, we are also polluting the nature simultaneously because plastic has already left colossal waste and reusing it won't help us either ways,” she says.
A metaphor of transformation signifying the change a person witnesses every minute is also reflected using four different sculptures portraying different reactions on a person's face—a piece created by Guru. “This highlights the constant transformation a person witnesses, not just physically but also psychologically and emotionally. There is no end and everybody changes. We have all kinds of things that are happening in the world so that's why change occurs endlessly,” he says.
The real meaning of change and transformation can be viewed at the Visual Arts Gallery of the India Habitat Centre till May 23.