‘Success is built on top of surprises and shocks’ – Falguni Bhatt, artist-curator

In this photo essay, we share highlights from the ceramic art exhibition ‘Let’s Party’ at Gallery Manora, along with career insights from the artists.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 250 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

Gallery Manora in Bengaluru is hosting a ceramic art exhibition this month titled Let’s Party (see my photo essays on the earlier exhibitions, A Moment in Time and Bend). Curated by artist Falguni Bhatt, the current exhibition features the works of Amrita Dhawan, Aditi Saraogi, Kaveri Bharath, Potrarasan Suban and Shayonti Salvi. They come from four cities: Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.

“The artists were invited to experiment and express along the full range of styles, materials and themes – hence the title Let’s Party,” explained Falguni, in a chat with YourStory. The ceramic artworks include vases, bowls, sculptures, lamps, murals and wall-hangings, priced in the range Rs 5,000 to Rs 1.6 lakhs.

“Art is not just about visual effects, it is about inner expression,” says Falguni; she has been an artist for 18 years, and graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at MSU Baroda. Her works have been displayed across India and in the US, Dubai and Spain; she is off to Perth next month for a residency programme at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

Studio ceramics is more than pottery; it is a cultural conduit and medium just like others such as bronze, she adds. Humble clay can capture amazing artistic value, from decoration to celebration, from function to festival.

But as compared to other media, ceramics involves more patience and perseverance. “There is a lot of suspense about what will emerge from the furnace. Success is built on top of surprises and shocks – that is the truth,” Falguni says, as advice to aspiring artists.

“Though ceramics has had a long history based on its functionality, it is more than crafts or antiquities. Creative communities are stretching the boundaries of ceramics as art and experimenting with it,” explains gallery owner-director Gomathi Suresh.

Ceramics involves scientific understanding of the behaviour of materials at high temperature. Gallery Manora’s next exhibition will feature abstract paintings, followed by the 2019 edition of the nation-wide ceramic art project Bowl’d Over (first launched in early 2018).

Now what have you done today to stretch your boundaries with a blend of art and science?

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