Yashika Sugandh’s ongoing solo exhibition Vartaman focuses on man-nature relationship

Environmentalism plays the core theme of Kolkata-origin contemporary artist Yashika Sugandh. Her ongoing solo at the Bikaner House in New Delhi showcases the delicate balance between man and nature and how increasingly the former is encroaching in the latter’s space in the present. Vartaman, the name of the art exhibition is a Hindi world which in English translates to now or present and the artist upholds the present conditions in the man-nature relation through her contemporary art. The exhibition is presented by Black Cube Gallery and will shift to the gallery from Oct 1 onwards till end of the month.

Why should catching up on Yashika Sugandh’s Vartaman be on your to-do list in New Delhi?

One of the central motifs throughout the exhibition is trees. One would find them or their references in many of her artworks. This not only depicts how closely we, as humankind are dependent on trees and how taken for granted they are in a man’s life today. Interestingly, her artworks follow a pattern inspired by Indian miniature art and that creates a unique visual language that jostles the creativity and imagination of the onlooker.

Sanya Malik, curator of the exhibition mentions, “Yashika Sugandh is a visionary not because she escapes reality, but because she pays deep attention to it. Her delicate, intricate drawings conjure a world where snails carry giraffes, monkeys snack on watermelon tails, and turtles become tomatoes. These anatomical fusions are whimsical, but never shallow; they are held together by an ethic of wonder, tenderness, and ecological imagination. Sugandh collaborates with nature rather than just depicting it, using twigs, wasp nests, butterfly cocoons and found objects as mediums. Her hybrid creatures suggest cohesion of humanity and nature, and each fine brushstroke poses quiet, radical questions.”

Yashika puts forward thought provoking questions for the viewers which consider them to re-think their individual relationship with nature and the environment as a whole. Her messages are loud and clear – that of humility, selfless service, and tolerance- which stem from the Bhagvad Gita. Coming back to the symbol of ‘Paropkar’ which means selfless service highlighted through the trees, the exhibition is a testament and reflection to what man has made his relationship with nature today and how one should understand the worth of co-existing and amend their ways for a better future.

What: Yashika Sugandh’s Vartaman

Where: Living Traditions Centre, Bikaner House and Black Cube Gallery, New Delhi

When: till Oct 1 (Bikaner House) and till Oct 31 (Black Cube Gallery)

Timings: 11 am – 7 pm

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