Now on MetCollects: Ranjani Shettar on Her Installation Seven ponds and few raindrops

Ranjani Shettar (Indian, b. 1977). Seven ponds and a few raindrops (detail), 2017. Muslin, stainless steel, tamarind, natural dyes, 229 x 223 x 96 in. (581.7 x 566.4 x 243.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Tia Collection, 2018 (2018.61a–p). © Ranjani Shettar. Courtesy Talwar Gallery, New York/New Delhi

MetCollects is a monthly online feature that highlights works of art new to the Museum's collection through the fresh eyes of photographers and the enthusiastic voices of leading scholars and artists.

In the first MetCollects episode to feature a contemporary female artist, the July episode celebrates a recent gift from the Tia Foundation of Seven ponds and a few raindrops by Ranjani Shettar (Indian, born 1977). Composed of sixteen individual components, the artist handcrafted each element of the installation herself over a period of nearly a year.

The episode's photo essay by Paul Lachenauer takes the viewer inside the installation and illuminates the skin-like materials used in the work. In the accompanying curatorial essay, Shanay Jhaveri, assistant curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, describes the complexities of the work and places it in context with other Indian Modernist artists such as Nasreen Mohamedi and Zarina Hashmi, both of whom are represented in The Met collection.

Interview with Ranjani Shettar for MetCollects

Shettar lives in the southern state of Karnataka, India, where the natural environment serves as an inspiration for her work, but her June visit to the Museum provided us with the unique opportunity to interview her for MetCollects. She begins the interview by describing the creative process involved in installing her work at The Met:

Installing an artwork is almost like creating an artwork. It's the lighting. It's the space. A sculpture like this has so many pieces, bringing them together in a harmony is like choreographing: a slight tilt in angle changes everything.

Watch the full interview to listen to Shettar discuss her artistic practice, her philosophy on materials, and how she would like her work to be perceived.

Seven ponds and a few raindrops is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue through September 16, 2018, in gallery 916.

MetCollects is made possible through the continued generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.