Bhurukuwa  (January 28-February 28) will be Shambhavi’s first solo exhibition with Shrine Empire, her first in the capital after a gap of six years. It will be one of a two-part presentation of Shambhavi’s oeuvre, the other being Bhoomi, a solo show running simultaneously at Gallery Espace which will have her iron sculptures and installations (25th January-24th February).

’Bhurukuwa‘ explores the subtle interplay between man, nature and art, and a duality where everything is earth and connected, yet nothing is complete in its original form. The mud-and-hay textured walls of their houses, the grey mist that rises from the field on winter mornings. ‘Bhoomi’ will include Shambhavi’s recent iron sculptures and installations, some of them in very large format, which are inspired by and evoke the village landscape of Bihar where the artist spent her childhood. The orange rust of the sickles the farmers use daily. Shambhavi’s works in every medium – be it metal, pulp or paper – bring to life the textures, colours and forms of rural life.

Shambhavi’s last major show was at the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2018 where her exposition was widely written about for the way it brought together earthy aesthetic and social concern. Shambhavi, who is trained at art colleges in Patna and later Delhi, has worked at the prestigious STPI in Singapore and showed in galleries in the US, South Africa and The Netherlands. One of her works, Beej Brahmand Ek (‘Cosmic Seeds Light) was acquired by The Museum of Modern art (MoMA) in 2011.  

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