Inspired by the beauty of the landscape shaped over the ages, in this exhibition Bala continues his exploration of forces within nature, expanding his oeuvre to create works that harness the rain and the wind. Using earth, sand, terracotta, wood, sandstone, and fire, the resulting works seem indistinguishable from those formed over millennia in the natural environment. Bala “builds” these works gradually, by way of accumulation in case of the wind works, and dispersion for the rain works. Creating movements of air, while directing the dust and pigments settling on the canvases like timescapes; devising natural environments to realize the impact of the rain and the consequent flows. The resulting landscapes, fragile and fleeting, formed in collaboration with nature are further realized by Bala after undergoing a series of tactile molding, casting, and painting processes. Partly an homage to nature, partly a challenge to create something of beauty and simplicity that may appear to be natural, here Bala’s hand is felt as much as seen, present in the ways it moves like the wind through the matter around it or gently guiding the rain as it falls and flows through his landscape.
Bala’s works have been featured in group and solo 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; Essl Museum, Austria; École des Beaux Arts, Paris, France; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington; National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea; 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 was born in 1971 in Tamil Nadu, India, where he currently lives and works.