A... in Art with Awareness

When you title an exhibition with a single letter (as in this case: “A”) you elevate it to a symbol, or a cipher — it assumes visual form and is no longer merely a glyph. This in itself, coaxes an exploration of the many cryptic ciphers that this exhibition is really made of.

Aarti has managed to use a collection (of artworks) as a tool to tie various architectural features into a singular experience wherein works are presented not just as exhibits, but also as spatial navigation.

Coded Conscience

This might well be one of Aarti’s seminal works. It is not merely site-specific (to Bikaner House’s interior spaces) but also involves interactive gameplay. The viewer is prompted to use their phones to scan QR codes — that will lead them to ciphers that are likely to coax one’s conscience. The work takes the word “code” from its context as a computer language, and connects it to ancient philosophy via handpicked texts from the Rig Veda, and other sources.

आवागमन

Mirrored on two extremes of opposing corridors are video installations entitled आवागमन (To and Fro), this work is especially intriguing in the way it creates a visual navigation across the foyer of Bikaner House and into adjacent corridors. The work speaks of the passage of time; and of the transit of people and events in one’s lifetime.

ચોરાસીલાખફેરા

This series of paintings speak to the concept of reincarnation; and of atonement by virtue of being born a human. It draws upon Vedic references to the number of reincarnations that are deemed necessary in order to attain liberation. Aarti has imbibed potent symbolism via ritual repetition of thumb prints as an allegory to the many lives we live as reincarnates.

Tapestry of Time

The working title for this work was originally “Weave of Time”, and was inspired by an article entitled “Time, metaphysics of”, (by Natalja Deng, 2018) in which, she writes that — all action, thought, and conscious reaction are woven into the larger fabric of time. This work plays out as a physical manifestation of the flow and movement of our actions — all woven into a tapestry, which is then arranged into panels that connect to the sky via ropes ascending up to the zenith of Bikaner House’s rotunda.

Prakashic Records

The word “Prakashic” is a play on the phrase Akashik Records. It literally converts “sky” to “light” with a single prefix (प्र). It invokes light as a time measuring device (e.g. speed of light, light years, parsecs etc.). It is commonly presumed that distant stars are probably dead by the time we see them, because they are light years away. Light is therefore, a time keeper. As it travels, it records all that it touches; and therefore we can see the past of a distant star in our present.

In summation, Aarti’s works remind me of stream of consciousness novels, as it is apparent that interior monologue is intrinsic to her process. We might endorse Aarti’s current works as an exemplary merger of interaction, site-specificity, and monumentality, especially in the way she has used Bikaner House’s architecture in creating an immersive environment.

I am grateful to her to let me share my inputs herein, and to have the privilege of working alongside curators Divya Mittal and Robinson.

Himanshu Desai, October 2023, New Delhi.