Threadsuns: An amalgamated juxtaposition of artists young and old

By Rajesh Kumar

An ongoing group show at Gallerie Nvya titled ‘Threadsuns’ takes cues from the poetry of the Romanian-German writer and translator who went by the pseudonym ‘Paul Celan’. As per the show’s curator, “‘Threadsuns’ was a collection of poems by Paul Celan as well as an essential part of a larger scope of work he produced. In his literary formations, Celan constructed his own vocabulary. Influenced by the French surrealists, he was bringing language back to its roots, creating strangeness, allowing for semantics to have various meanings that tend to have divergent angles, rather than stay affixed to a particular meaning.” Shristi Sainani recommends viewing the artworks along with a copy of Penguin Twentieth-Century Classic ‘Celan: Selected Poems’ as this will aid the viewer in making connections between the poetry and the artworks.

When a viewer enters the gallery, the first point of attraction comes from a 200-piece-installation made of gypsum and coated with brick powder, by Jithin Jayakumar — a young artist who was among the winners of Abir’s First Take 2021. One of the main reasons why it immediately captures the attention of the viewer lies in the way this installation of small figures has been placed on a base of mirrors, thereby creating interesting shadows on the ceiling and walls of the gallery. The installation depicts a grid of men with a womb, a new take on Ardhnarishwar.

Another young artist Neelesh Yogi has showcased a series of 50 miniature sculptural artworks made out of paper, presented in transparent glass boxes. The miniatures represent various quotidian objects or materials such as a key, a chair or a table that we see in our day-to-day life. The ceramic artist Sarban Chowdhury’s artwork looks like a visual diary. The curator, described this piece to me a reflection of Sarban’s personal experiences and his inner feelings. The exhibition also features two video installations by Tahireh Lal and Mrudula Kunatharaju.

Showing in congruence with the Delhi Art Week, Gallerie Nvya has hosted artworks of 13 artists in the exhibition, both senior and young. These artists comprise Sarban Chowdhury, Suman Gupta, Jithin Jayakumar, Siddharth Kerkar, Mrudula Kunatharaju, Tahireh Lal, Manish Pushkale, Sohan Qadri, Mona Rai, Revati Sharma Singh, Tito Stanley, Santosh Verma and Neelesh Yogi. The show also includes a performance by Murari Jha.

‘Threadsuns’ is on view till 6th September. Overall the exhibition is an interesting amalgamation at a single place where the audience will get to witness established masters and future talents together. And in a nod to the text that the show takes its title from, the works exhibited not only vary in mediums, but also give the viewer the subjective liberty to draw out the varied meanings possible through their thoughtful arrangement, all while being linked to a piece of poetry crafted by Celan.”

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