Anjali Venkat reshapes discarded fragments into striking works of art

Anjali Venkat has always believed that beauty isn’t confined to luxury or extravagance. Instead, she finds it in the simple, the overlooked, and even the broken. Through her art, she transforms fragments and discarded materials into pieces that tell a story, proving that what some see as rubbish can hold unexpected charm and meaning.

Anjali, who has been working with glass for years, is deeply inspired by nature, drawing upon its textures, colours, and forms. “Ever since I started as an artist working with glass, everything I have always been attracted to forms in nature, including textures and colours, so the more I am evolving as an artist, the little more my work is becoming abstract,” she shares.

Her latest exhibition titled Dance of the five elements, fragments of expression, embodies this philosophy. With each of the five rooms in the venue dedicated to an element—earth, fire, water, air, and space—Anjali brings her vision to life through both glass and fabric.

Known primarily as a glass artist, Anjali has long worked with reclaimed and post-consumer glass. However, she has also been quietly engaged in a parallel artistic endeavour—working with fabric. “For years now, I have been doing these projects in fabric that I give away. I make quilts for the poor. I also make sensory mats for people with dementia and autistic kids,” she explains. This practice, initially for personal fulfillment, evolved into an artistic pursuit when she realised the potential of leftover fabric scraps. “Over a period of time, the amount of leftover scrap becomes a lot when you are generating so much work. So then I decided to create some art out of it.”

While she had previously participated in group exhibitions featuring fabric art, this marks her first solo show incorporating textiles. Dance of the five elements, fragments of expression is thus a culmination of her work in both glass and fabric, merging seemingly disparate materials into a cohesive artistic narrative.

Her work does not simply depict these elements; it engages with them, reflecting their shifting, ephemeral, and transformative nature through material, form, and light. The five elements have been interpreted through colour, texture, and form.

“Each element I have depicted reflects my thoughts, or essentially, my vision of that element,” she says. While most of her work is wall art, the exhibition also features a few installation pieces. The interplay of materials is central to her approach, with glass at times mimicking the fluidity of fabric and textile assemblages forming striking compositions.

However, making these had its challenges. Anjali’s process is labour-intensive, beginning with sorting post-consumer materials—whether glass bottles and shower doors or old clothes, and fabric remnants. “The most time-consuming part of my process is handling the post-consumer materials. For example, when I work with glass, I collect discarded bottles, broken pieces, and old shower doors. My first task is to clean everything thoroughly and then sort them by colour and shape,” she explains. This meticulous preparation, however, ends in the creation of vibrant and textured pieces.

Additionally, transporting her creations from Singapore, where she resides, to Chennai was another struggle. “If you look at my work, much of it is about assembling different pieces, which is why I named it ‘fragments of expressions’,” she says. For this exhibition, she crafted smaller fabric pieces in Singapore and assembled them into larger artworks upon arrival in Chennai.

“I think you can expect the unexpected,” she says when asked about what visitors might take away from her exhibition. “Even today, glass art remains uncommon in India—most artists focus on paintings or ceramic sculptures. That’s why glass art pieces often come as a surprise.” Her works often defy conventional expectations, showcasing the versatility of reclaimed materials. One particular piece, three feet in diameter, is composed of “literally a million pieces of glass in it.”

Beyond artistic exploration, Anjali hopes to inspire visitors to embrace their creativity. “Many people instinctively say, ‘I’m not creative, I can’t do this.’ But I want to show them that creativity is just about letting go—taking a few random items, putting them together, and discovering the beauty they can create,” she says. Encouraging hands-on engagement with materials, she believes, fosters inner peace and fulfillment.

For Anjali, the joy of creation is also intertwined with the joy of sharing. “I would like people also to see what’s happening in my mind, because what I am creating is not what everybody creates. So it’s very interesting to see other people’s reactions to my madness,” she laughs.

Open to all. From February 18 to March 8. Tuesday to Saturday. 3 pm to 6.30 pm. At Apparao Galleries, Wallace Gardens, Nungambakkam.

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