Curated by Sanya Malik, Yashika Sugandh explores the delicate relationship between humanity and nature with her signature style of balancing imagination with reality
Caught in our current busy lives, we often forget that we, as humans, are a fundamental part of nature, as distant as we may feel from it. We oftentimes forget the similarities between us and the natural world, and the many emotions and impulses we share with animals. With her works in the exhibition Vartaman, Yashika Sugandh brings the environment, nature and our relationship with it to the forefront.
“Central to Yashika’s vision is a profound reverence for nature, symbolised through the recurring motif of tree branches. These organic forms remind us of the nurturing essence of trees and our interconnectedness with the natural world. Her meticulous painting technique, influenced by her appreciation for Indian miniature art, creates a unique visual language that speaks to the soul and stirs the imagination.”
“Through Vartaman, Yashika poses thought-provoking questions about humanity’s relationship with the environment, challenging viewers to consider their impact on nature and their responsibility toward its preservation. Her art embodies the ethos of humility, tolerance, and selfless service, echoing the timeless wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita. Much like the trees, which epitomize “Paropkar” as selfless compassion and service, Yashika’s work invites us to cultivate a spirit of reverence for all living beings and a deep respect for the interconnected web of life that sustains us.”
This exhibition is curated by Sanya Malik, founder and director of Black Cube Gallery. “Sugandh collaborates with nature rather than just depicting it, using twigs, wasp nests, butterfly cocoons and found objects as mediums.” Malik says in her curatorial note. “Her hybrid creatures suggest cohesion of humanity and nature, and each fine brushstroke poses quiet, radical questions: What if every being had what it needed to survive? What if growth was possible anywhere, even on old machines? Time, in Sugandh’s work, does not tick, it expands.”
Yashika Sugandh was born in Kolkata but born and brought up in Delhi, completing both her BFA and MFA from Amity University. Her works have been exhibited in India Art Fair, Art Mumbai, Lalit Kala Akademi and Black Cube Gallery, as part of Objects May Appear Softer. Previously, in this exhibition, her art had explored similar themes of the connection between humanity and nature, but focused more specifically on motherhood. Through anthropomorphised animal mothers with their children, she related nature with humanity once again through the common emotion of motherhood. She continues this exploration of the relationship between nature and humanity in Vartaman, focusing on our treatment of the environment.
Sanya Mailk founded Black Cube Gallery “on the belief that art should exist beyond structured divisions.” “I launched Black Cube in 2018 with the objective of making art more accessible and approachable to audiences.” She says in her exclusive interview with Abir Pothi after Objects May Appear Softer. “Our ethos has always been to provide platforms to the deserving voices, and to place established and emerging voices together.” Speaking on her curatorial practice, and the general role of a curator she adds, “I think narrative is extremely important, and the story-telling aspect. As curators, we are responsible for the narrative of each artist practice we showcase, it helps audiences connect with artists and their practices, and resonate with what they are trying to express. It’s an important role.”
Vartaman will take place first at Bikaner House, and then it will continue in Black Cube Gallery.
“Yashika Sugandh is a visionary not because she escapes reality, but because she pays deep attention to it. Her delicate, intricate drawings conjure a world where snails carry giraffes, monkeys snack on watermelon tails, and turtles become tomatoes. These anatomical fusions are whimsical, but never shallow; they are held together by an ethic of wonder, tenderness, and ecological imagination.”
~Sanya Malik
Exhibition Details:
- Date: 27th September – 1st October (Bikaner House)
- Timings: 11 AM – 7 PM
- Venue: Living Traditions Centre, Bikaner House, New Delhi
- Extended Venue: Till 31st October at Black Cube Gallery, New Delhi.
Images courtesy of Black Cube Gallery and Bikaner House
Citizen of The World. A musician, artist and writer. Social media manager at Abir Pothi
