A glance at work by Vibha Galhotra and Simrin Mehra

Thought provoking works by artist Simrin Mehra Agarwal incorporate surreal phantasmagorias wherein the human form tends to take on unlikely existences. The body gets transformed into the world of expression as the human form is thoroughly probed, exaggerated, and even satirized. A quaint, haunting touch marks her beautiful pictures that reveal the absurdity and self-loathing elements of complex human existence.

By deftly exploring the relationship that exists between the biomorphic and the urban, she builds a rather complex maze of a truly fascinating imagery. In the process, she displays the complexities, disparities and similarities within the biomorphic and the urban - one being curvilinear and the other being linear. There’s that contrast between the chaotic and the organized that she tries to capture.

Interestingly enough, delightful moments drawn from her childhood memories stand out in her work. These usually get faded as the growing weight of concerns overshadow adult life. However, they appear as some of the strongest imageries in her work. By deftly exploring the relationship that exists between the biomorphic and the urban, the artist builds a rather complex maze of a truly fascinating imagery.

Though Vibha Galhotra specializes in graphics, her work explores a wide range of mediums, which demonstrates her versatility. She delves in painting, animation videos, site-specific installations and sculpting. In graphic work, she often transfers her ideas into bronze sculptural forms. On the other hand, her paintings consist of condensed narratives, where she might be projected as the protagonist. An emblematic female figure constantly appears in her works. Her art is largely about ‘recoding’. It involves recoding at several levels, between the artist and the work.

The cityscape often serves as an inspiration for the artist. Time, space and consciousness weave a tale about the ‘global city’ through her art. The ever expanding city, the gigantic construction cranes and the bewildering building material form the new landscape for the inhabitants. The permanent presence of the eerie sound of material being perpetually hauled in and the sound of the drill serve as the wakeup calls every morning. The art questions whether all of it is voluntarily chosen by us or is thrust upon us.