Indian sculptor Ranjani Shettar (born 1977) combines natural and industrial materials—such as beeswax, wood, organic dyes, vegetal pastes, lacquer, steel, and cloth—in her large-scale installations. Typically composed of numerous non-representational forms, Shettar's immersive environments are inspired by her observations of the now-threatened natural environs of rural India.
For Seven ponds and a few raindrops (2017), the artist molded pieces of stainless steel into a series of sensual, curved, amoebic, shape-shifting elements that have been covered in tamarind-stained muslin. Suspended from the ceiling, the work seems to defy gravity, casting a series of mesmerizing shadows, which, from a distance, evoke the sense of having stumbled upon a surreal, hidden-away oasis.
"Affirms [the artist's] ethical and aesthetic commitment to the natural world" —Architectural Digest India
". . . pays homage to the artist's cultural history, while simultaneously acknowledging its inextricable relationship to the land that produced it." —ArtAsiaPacific
"Both [Huma] Bhabha's and Shettar's hyperrealist works have a special relevance in today's global context." —Livemint
In "Ranjani Shettar and the Poetics of Materials," exhibition curator Shanay Jhaveri writes about Ranjani Shettar's technique and how the artist's use of materials transforms her sculptures into lyrical illusions.
In this MetCollects episode, Ranjani Shettar discusses her artistic process, her choice of materials, and how her work is inspired by nature. The episode also includes an essay by exhibition curator Shanay Jhaveri and a series of photographs that take you inside the artist's installation.
Ranjani Shettar (Indian, born 1977). Seven ponds and a few raindrops, 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). Photo courtesy Talwar Gallery, New York/New Delhi