Ranjani Shettar
Ranjani Shettar’s installation at Third Floor-Hermès embodies the magnanimity and enigma of the “Flame of the Forest” – a majestic tree considered sacred by Hindus. Its structure and resonance are the basis for this ethereal, sculptural installation that permeates physical and psychological space. Shettar employs the evocative forms and textures of wood to construct organic sculptural forms that mediate space in the form of ceiling, wall and floor installations. The lush colors and divine treatment of teak and rosewood convey a tactile eroticism. Seduced by their simplicity and openness, our experience of Shettar’s works yields wonderment and surrender to their splendor. Shettar is recognized for reincarnating traditional craft techniques into contemporary art forms through her use of natural and synthetic materials like wood, tamarind kernel, beeswax, latex, PVC tubing, silicone rubber, and metal. Her approach to materials, form and space accentuates the tenuous relationship between extremes and the latest works for Third Floor-Hermès, continue to testify Shettar’s innate ability to transmit concepts of history, process, time and evolution.
Ranjani Shettar’s works have been the subject of several museum exhibitions including solo presentations at The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston, MA (2008); The Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (2008-9); The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) (2009); National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2011); Hermes Fondation, Singapore (2011) and BDL Museum, Mumbai, India (2012). Her works have also been featured in exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NY (2010); Kiran Nadar Museum, New Delhi (2011, 2012, 2013), 5th Moscow Biennale (2013); 10th Liverpool Biennial, UK (2010); 55th Carnegie International, Carnegie Museum of Art, PA (2008); 9th Lyon Biennial, France (2007); 8th Sharjah Biennial (2007); 15th Sydney Biennale, Australia (2006); Artpace, Texas (2006); Cartier Fondation, Paris (2005); Wexner Center, OH (2005) and The Walker Art Center, MN (2003). In 2012 in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York the artist created a limited-edition project, Varsha.