Between gargantuan roots; the intricate roadmap-like details of a fallen seed next to the bark of a peeling eucalyptus tree; hues of vermilion, ocher, and celebratory orange; a butterfly’s wing, resting on wet, soft earth as a dried leaf rolls by only to stick to a pin-holed, ant infested, tree branch.
As human beings one is tied to nature in a primordial way. However, one tries to tame it, cut it down, build cities, and relegate it to specific areas within our cities for our own amusement and recreation, sometimes as specific plots awaiting development.
Artist, Maya Bhalla, is intrigued by our obsession with nature on one hand, and our repulsion of uncontrolled nature, on the other. ‘w/underland’ seeks to understand how our relationship with nature can be personal and integrated into our daily living, and sometimes what happens when it is not. To be drawn into another world- into ‘w/underland’, into these plots of green space, is to want to understand. This is a place where one can be both big and small at the same time. She says, ‘I am not just the adult trespassing onto a mass of green, but also somewhere within me is the child, that awakens and plays. At some point I am no longer aware of which ‘me’ sees what it sees.‘
Maya Bhalla states,when asked about her process and inspirations, ‘My work is like a diary, a log of my experiences. I understand my world in terms of the idea of ‘home’, whether that be a place, and idea or a memory.‘ Primarily a ceramic artist, Maya says, ‘My works are often silent and introspective but are informed by dynamic processes of moving around and about the pieces, coiling and constructing, pealing, layering, being always in motion much like life is, always in motion. For the purpose of this show, I have combined my love of clay with other processes like photography, printmaking and painting.‘
w/underland runs from November 1st-6th, Opening night on November 1st, 7pm-9pm.
Venue: Objectifs – Centre for Photography and Film, 155 Middle Road, Singapore 188977
Gallery Hours are:Tuesday to Saturday: 12pm to 7pm Sunday: 12pm to 4pm Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
