Prajakta Palav’s first London solo show

Grosvenor Vadehra is set to host Prajakta Palav’s first London solo show. In this new series of works, entitled ‘Sprouting Beads’, she continues to explore her life and experiences in the ever-expanding mega-city of Mumbai which sees a daily influx of migrants.

One half of the show deals with the explosion of the population and its effect on the city whilst the the other half deals with the clutter and mess that builds up in people’s homes and flats and their efforts to conceal it. There are four paintings that capture the explosion of the city. In 'Overflowing', the artist paints a sky-high pile of rubbish, in this case pulp rubbish from a landfill site.

Just as cities in India are overflowing with rubbish, the rubbish seems to be coming out of the canvas as well. In all her paintings she plays with perspective, creating images that subvert our understanding of everyday objects. In ‘Spitting’, she captures the over-flowing commuter trains, which inhabit the everyday lives of the people in Mumbai. These paintings are not just photographic copies – they are altered and adapted to heighten perspective. The white background leaves the painting open to interpretation.

Her ‘Bursting’ depicts hundreds of cars, buses, rickshaws in one massive, endless traffic jam while ‘Spreading’ depicts the growing slum rising up into the sky. These paintings also reflect the lower-middle class surroundings that she grew up in. Just as she captures the World outside her window she is also concerned with the ever expanding mess and clutter in a small suburban flat and the efforts to hide that mess.

‘Tiny Corners’ are paintings/reliefs that are embedded into the gallery wall. They challenge and invite us to look behind the corners, into the hidden mess. These are beautiful works, meticulously painted and well-crafted. But fundamentally, she paints ‘the ugly’ - the things meant to be hidden.