Artist Radhika Surana is all set to charm the audience through her solo show – Somewhere I Have Never Travelled which is set to open at the Art Alive Gallery in New Delhi from July 25 onwards. The artworks, which are mesmerizingly detailed and full of metaphorical references, are a way to channelise the thought of holding on to your relationships amidst its changing nature with time.
Radhika Surana borrows the name of her exhibition from E.E Cummings’ poem – Somewhere I Have Never Travelled. Her artworks, which not only include embroidery practice but also the extensive use of Indigo Vat Dyeing process makes it stand out in terms creativity. Once you enter the gallery, the dominating colour that reaches you is indigo along with different hues of blue and a delicate embroidery which gives shape, structure and meaning to the indigo background. Through stitches, knots, slashes and scorches, Surana explores the themes of growth, rupture, repair and intimacy.
Interestingly, Art Alive Gallery brings together the first solo show of Surana. What makes it intelligently metaphorical is the exploration of relationships and its stages through her works. Her needles journey across emotions which have never been experienced before corresponding to the theme – Somewhere I Have Never Travelled. And through the intricate embroideries and structures over the indigo palette, she dives into the forms of relationships – be it one which is going very well, one which is strained but has been mended through stitches, one which is slashes beyond repair and more. Her artworks are a metaphor to sustaining relationships and the effort put behind it, which is almost always invisible but definitely exists in the continuity of the relationship.
Apart from the theme what strikes the audience while viewing the display is the wide use of India’s traditional artistic process of Indigo vat dyeing. Often referred to as the ‘blue gold’, the use of indigo in art or crafts dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The use of Indigo, which according to the artist is a legacy that needs constant nurture resonates perfectly with relationships, which are also built on the foundation of legacy and needs constant nurture with changing times. Radhika uses the past and the present to weave through futuristic art.