Untitled, 2002 Fiberglass and acrylic
Talwar Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of recent major sculptural works and monoprints by A.Balasubramaniam. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in the U.S, featuring sculptures that have been cast from his own body, monoprints, and a heat-sensitive work revealing itself only at a certain temperature. Self in Progress, a life-size installation of a man appearing to be sitting through a wall. One side of the wall reveals his seated half, and the other side reveals the legs of the sculpture seamlessly emerging from the wall. In another piece, Torch, a light beam appears to be emerging from the floor and casts a shadow on the wall. On close inspection, the true nature of the materials is revealed. Hands tug, pull and grasp at the walls in the gallery adding a dynamic life to the space itself. Balasubramaniam is challenging the viewer’s perception of space, material, and light and defying any expectation or assumption.
Grounded by the conceptual processes Bala thoughtfully considers, including the works cast with his own body, the playfulness of his work challenges the viewer to either believe or disbelieve what they know and see. The viewer is led to question the nature and truth of reality and its limits. The walls of the exhibition are impermeable and boundless, urging the viewer to traverse the space and explore the malleability of their perception as well as the infinitude of possibility and experience.
“Mr. Balasubramaniam, self-taught as a sculptor, is young, savvy and in the middle of a spurt of growth. It could take him anywhere, but there's already a lot here.”
New York Times
Self in Progress (Detail)
Born in Tamil Nadu, India, A. Balasubramaniam was educated at the Government College of Arts in Madras, India (1992-1995). He then continued to study at Edinburg Printmakers, Scotland (1997) and Univeristat fur Angewandte Kunste in Vienna, Austria (1999). For these two programs, Bala was rewarded with the Charles Wallace Arts Fellowship and was a recipient of the UNESCO bursary. The artist has also been rewarded with the Kunstlerdorf Fellowship, Germany (2001), the Fundacio pilar I Joan Miro Award, Spain (2001), and the Third Sapparo International Print Biennale Award (1995). He completed a residency at Mac Dowell Colony, U.S in 1998. Bala’s works have been featured in exhibitions worldwide, including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; Guggenheim Museum, New York; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington; École des Beaux Arts, Paris, France; Essl Museum, Austria; National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia, 1st Singapore Biennale; and 18th Sydney Biennale. Bala has been a guest lecturer at the Art Department of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and a featured speaker at TED. Bala now lives and works in Tamil Nadu, India.
