Yuva Sambhav : Ceramics

In Delhi’s art community, the months of May and June are traditionally regarded as a time of silence. During this time, even if any art event occurs, the number of viewers is minimal. In such a circumstance, the excitement of the Raza Foundation’s ceramic show, which began today at the Sridharani Gallery of Triveni Kala Sangam, was reminiscent of the delightful feeling of changing seasons.

Ceramic art has undergone particularly significant developments in recent decades. If we recall the situation from just four decades ago, the definition of ceramic media was limited to ceramic pottery. However, the form of ceramic that has emerged in recent years establishes it as a powerful material for sculpture. The exhibition of young ceramic sculptors, which began today at the Triveni Kala Sangam gallery in New Delhi, should be regarded as a pleasant chapter in Indian contemporary art. This exhibition, organized by the Raza Foundation as part of the “Yuva Sambhav” series, features the works of twelve young sculptors picked from throughout the country.

In his curatorial comment, Daroz writes- “As part of the Raza-100 celebrations, this year, the Foundation has decided to organise a ceramic show under the series of “Yuva Sumbhava” exhibitions. It is indeed a pleasure to curate such a show at a time when ceramic as a medium is being celebrated in India.

As observed in recent years, there is a sea-change in the practice of and expression in ceramic medium. This is also due to the easy availability of ceramic material, access to information through technology and travel opportunities for national and international symposiums and residency programs. Such exposures offer a liberating experience and empower young practitioners of ceramic art to daringly explore the medium in a much broader way.

For this exhibition, my intent is to project ceramic constructs by a group of young talented artists who come from diverse and allied disciplines of arts, design and architecture. It is intriguing to see their approach to clay, whereby, their inherent disciplinary specialization and sensibilities are given to play and transgression into unchartered areas of innovation and exploration.

The exhibition proposes to showcase a conceptual and formal reconstruct through the materiality of clay, that spatially, temporally and historically has been fractured into compartmentalized existence and categories of art, craft, design and architecture. Projected and unfolded through the exhibition is a new narrative that harnesses in spirit and form, the essence of clay from multiple perspectives and dimensions.

I thank The Raza Foundation for giving me this opportunity to showcase new perceptions and expressive powers of younger minds working in the medium of ceramics.“

The twelve young artists whose works have been chosen for the exhibition are: Ajay Singh Bhadoria, Aarti Paliwal, Birendra Yadav, Devesh Upadhyay, Kopal Seth, Krutika Soni, Maulik Ojha, Ovanka Bhattacharjee, Revathi Jayakrishnan, Sarban Chowdhury, Srinia Chowdhury, and Suwajit Mandal. It is also worth noting that at an era when the role of state and central government-run art institutions appears to be becoming increasingly secondary. The Raza Foundation enriches the Indian contemporary art landscape through its art endeavors.

On this occasion, this statement of Foundation’s Managing Trustee Ashok Vajpayee describes the objective and importance of the organization in the following words: –“The Young Ceramics Art In keeping with its mandate and the dynamic vision of its founder and benefactor Sayed Haider Raza, the Raza Foundation has been making constant efforts for projecting, promoting and supporting the artists belonging to the younger generations. Raza had great hope from and deep trust in the dynamic and plural creativity, innovativeness, and vibrant aesthetic imagination of the young.

With this exhibition of ceramics of the young artists of India, the Raza Foundation is organizing the third in a series of four exhibitions of prints, sculpture, ceramics, and new media. It is hoped that these exhibitions would bring forth the energy, vitality of expression, the creative usage of new material, and new practices that the young Indian artists are exploring to arrive at and articulate their individual visions and idioms.

Ceramics have a long tradition in India and in contemporary times the art has responded to the new age, changes and challenges with wide ranging creativity, vigour, subtlety and complexity. It has emerged as an area of elegance and beauty of innovation and fragility. The show attempts to showcase some of these aspects.

The Raza Foundation is grateful to P. R. Daroz the well-known ceramic artist for curating this show with interest, experience, and expertise.”

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