04/12/2024
presents âک۱ÙÙč | à€à€°à€”à€ | Karvatâ a solo exhibition by artist Bhasha Chakrabarti at Experimenter Colaba opening today 26th Oct, 6 PM onwards.
Chakrabarti will also lead a walkthrough of the exhibition with writer and curator, Mario D'Souza at 7pm.
On view till 20 November 2024.
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âKarvat (۔ۚŰ)/The Turn (Morning)â and âKarvat (à€°à€Ÿà€€)/The Turn (Night)â, a pair of 10-foot long stretched linen pieces, which are both paintings and textile works, will be on view as part of the exhibition.
âChakrabartiâs exhibition, Karvat, derives and extends from Ismat Chughtaiâs short story, âLihaafâ, where two women explore desire in the shadows, comfort, and/or safety of the quiltâŠThe quilt in âLihaafâ, like in Chakrabartiâs practice over the years, becomes a cover for the bareness of bodies and a site of self- determination and pleasureâŠShe approaches it as a landscape, cloud, or turbulent ocean, painted and sometimes collaged. The bodyâa face or limbâmostly hers and occasionally a loverâs, slips out from under the vastness of the cover. The body is not at rest, but stretched, curling or twisting in search of comfort. In Karvat (۔ۚŰ)/The Turn (Morning) and Karvat (à€°à€Ÿà€€)/The Turn (Night), used fabric is reappropriated to construct the quilt. The body continues to remain present in its trace through the worn, aged folds, possibly still holding the stench and sweat of its wearer. Under cover, Chakrabarti invariably presents a second, absent-present body, suggesting intimacy and companionship.â
â Excerpt from Mario DâSouzaâs essay for ک۱ÙÙč | à€à€°à€”à€ | Karvat