Ipshita Sen of Saffronart shares a note on Bharti Kher’s solo exhibition in Seoul

New York: Artist Bharti Kher expands her audience to South Korea for the very first time, through her solo show at the Kukje gallery in Seoul. On view until October, the exhibition showcases selected works of art, all speaking of “anomalies”, the title of the show, exploring an extensive overview of Kher’s artistic practice in the last decade.

Experiencing Bharti Kher’s work is like deciphering a labyrinth of complexities, emotions and cultural displacement. Born and raised in Surrey, London, Kher has established her own aesthetic niche in the international art market in the last two decades. The narrative element of her work, often mythological, overrides the visual aspect, consuming audiences into her oeuvre.

“In terms of the title ‘Anomalies’, I’d use it for every exhibition if I could. I feel that in Asia, people really understand myths, and “Anomalies” is about how things are not always as they appear, how the function and cause are not always the same, and how intentions are not always what you see in the end. I name some of my work after myths, and people think they’re true, but I’ve made it up”.

The exhibition showcases Kher’s multi faceted works, from found objects to traditional South Asian motifs. One of her prominent works is the bindi works, representing the mark that is applied by Indian women on their forehead.  Kher alludes to the concept of a bindi as unorthodox and creates an almost mesmerizing visual reflecting its intrinsic beauty. These works are tedious and labor intensive in production, as each bindi is applied meticulously, creating spectacular patterns of vivid color, posing a challenge to the audience perspective on painting.

“The idea is that they have this object that they can instill faith in,” says Bharti

The exhibition also showcases her well-known series of female hybrid sculptures; half human, half animal figures inverting the natural hierarchy. Through these sculptures, Kher envisions the concept of the “urban goddess” revealing attributes of instability and unease of the feminine. Through her work, she also challenges feminist notions of sexuality, love, power, body and the grotesque.

Bharti Kher, is one of India’s prominent contemporary artists. She studied painting at Newcastle Polytechnic and currently lives and works in New Delhi, India.

The exhibition will be on until October 5, for more information click here.