An artist who transforms known motifs to voice her concerns

Known for her usage of everyday, found objects and transforming their basic identity imaginatively, Bharti Kher expertly empowers her often otherworldly works to unabashedly present themselves as if they were all a natural aspect of both our culture and environment. Here are some unique facets of her oeuvre:

• The artist looks to explore the notion of the self as a multiple, open to interpretation and shape-shifting. Her art practice is intimately intertwined with her life, not only because she borrows motifs and artifacts for her work, but also because she has an inquisitive mind and a strong desire to understand sociological issues.
• She is perhaps best known for her elaborate and stunning bindi dot paintings: abstract, swirling constellations of colorful bindis glued to flat surfaces that create unique imagery somewhere between being illusory and hyper-realistic. In recent years her artistic creations have become increasingly bold and unrestrained, several examples of which are on show in the exhibition.
• The phenomenal, life-size elephant ‘The skin speaks a language not its own’ (2006) made of fibreglass and covered with serpent- or sperm-shaped white bindis, bears a symbolism that leaves viewers uncertain about the animal’s condition. The title of the work, always an important component of Kher’s works, suggests that physical appearance and inner values are often in conflict.
• Such characteristics endow this sensitive artist’s work with a narrative quality and fascinating interiority of things that frequently contradict her practice of addressing more global and collective concerns. This tension is precisely what leads us more deeply into her work and world and prompts us to reposition our own relationship to her individual pieces.
• Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art recently presented works by Bharti Kher in her first solo exhibition held in a public art institution in London. It was composed of a selection of works from the recent past, with an emphasis on the artist’s sculptural works.