Talwar Gallery is delighted to present a group of rare installations from 1993 by Rummana Hussain in her first solo gallery exhibition in the United States.  In the wake of events of December 1992 in Ayodhya (India), the artistic practice of Rummana took a dramatic shift, awakening in her an urgent and persistent questioning of the situation and the self. The works on view mark the pivotal point which altered the direction of her work, evolving her language and medium to address burgeoning concerns both public and private. Employing simple everyday materials the works are powerful expressions of the communal dislocation of the time and embark the artist for further impassioned explorations, ensuing at times in poignant revelations of self.

Cracked, split domes and crumbled earth, reminiscent of a fractured edifice; an assemblage of shattered terra cotta pots lay scattered and exposed: the female body deconstructed, undone.  The works on view are evocative of a shrine where the remnants of broken earthenware laid on mirrors urge a solemn reflection. A sense of loss permeates the space as fragments appear excavated relics of the past. While these installations were created almost two decades ago, the violence and intolerance they allude to still resonate today, more widespread and forceful.