Teja Gavankar draws inspiration from the forms and structures that we encounter everyday, “That constant presence of real space has always fascinated me, I see my immediate environment as a space for exploration and play” she shares. Gavankar’s practice is grounded in the material concepts of geometry and mathematics, while also engaging with the metaphysical and philosophical aspects of these subjects. Her piece takes the form of a sphere, “But instead of presenting a whole sphere, I worked with two equal hemispheres. This challenges the perception of completeness—inviting viewers to consider space and form as fluid and in flux,” she explains. This also ties into the name of the piece, Khôra, which is a Greek term referring to a space like a matrix or womb, where things take shape but the space itself remains undefined. This was the artist’s first time working with stone as the primary medium, and StoneX provided their guidance and support in selecting materials, using industrial techniques, and utilising certain processes to increase the longevity of the piece.
Also read: These are the smallest sculptures in the world
Umbrella by Sudarshan Shetty
“Stone carries with it an inherent sense of time,” says Sudarshan Shetty, “unlike more yielding materials, it demands patience and listening.” And listen he does. Sudarshan Shetty is an artist who explores ideas of impermanence and memory through his work, looking to understand what gets remembered, and what slips away. His piece ‘Umbrella’ is an attempt to use the permanence of stone to capture something as impermanent as memory. By engraving this snippet of text that reads like a personal story, Shetty makes a memory permanent, “The work attempts to translate that ambiguity—the indistinct edges of recollection—into form.” he explains.
StoneX’s foray into art is a symbol of the company’s new guiding principle to celebrate the beauty of stone, and champion the artists who work with it. As Shanthamani Muddaiah aptly puts it, “This collaboration has opened up new possibilities for stone sculpture in India, expanding what artists can dream and achieve.”
