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Tarini Sethi makes a tapestry of metal wire and plates that present a forest inhabited by contemporary Yakshinis whispering tales to a bird and a cattish caterpillar. Syncretism with nature is a mark of the tropics where nature is ever present with plants and insects humming into our lives. Chinmoyi Patel fills in urban residue into cloth to make cactuses that mimic house plants and scoff at the pretensions of people using artificial plants in their homes. Karl Antao like a magician creates a surreal multi headed animal that holds the sacredness of our animist traditions. Mahatma Gandhi in Reghunandan K’s bronze walks India across to its freedom animating people with references to their beliefs – beliefs that arose from magical epics that extolled responsibility. The Naga Raksha Fire Mask from Mattala, Sri Lanka is a reflection of all that we fear and seek protection from. The Dhodro Banam musical instruments from Orissa are like many objects museums hold that once held a purpose and utility but now are only produced for decoration purposes. We collect objects that hold the promises of our untold stories and perhaps what we would want to have made? Harman Taneja marks hue and colour in fiberglass as a magical realm of shadows that could be aquatic.
