India’s Women Artists: Aarti Sunder Weaving Self-Reflexivity Into Art

Aarti Sunder is the epitome of a modern-day artist whose persona and works cannot be contained by medium, style, sense, and everything that has been unidimensional. Her artwork explores concepts of time, territory, space, rationality and potential – she explored the ideas and instincts that create the subject and the relationship we cultivate with them. Sunder’s multi-media style and approach to art have her incorporate writing, drawing, video and performative elements in her pieces. The nature of the being, the quest for different approaches to knowledge and the forces that shape the individual are the underlying themes of her craft.

Sunder’s works

Sunder’s works often feature two complementary actions: The screening of a set of 360-degree videos accompanied by a compilation of texts while she does live drawing on top of a screen on which her visuals are being projected.

Sunder apart from her own video and text creations collects videos and texts from diverse experts. i.e: scientists, philosopher, and religious thinkers. She then turns this seemingly unrelated information into a stream of consciousness and collected thoughts that flow from a singular voice. Her visuals also demonstrate a duality of aesthetics and flavour as she portrays clips from India and Europe and aims to capture the essence of a fast-paced and globalized world.

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Sunder explores pertinent questions about art and expression, i.e: where it is possible to trace the trajectories of expression and grow to differentiate the generic from the subjective. She explores her hypothesis through her live drawings, black marker and follows the curves and shapes of the projected landscapes as they evolve.

Her engaging approach to art and creation demonstrated her deep conceptual interactions both with her work and her viewers, she aims to showcase innovative ways of experiencing the world.

Background

Aarti Sunder completed a nine-month residency at Ashkal Alwan - The Lebanese Association for Plastic arts in Lebanon. There she explored art as a language and the extent to which self-reflexivity can be woven into it. She tried to investigate and express how art might serve to produce itself, and reconstruct itself.

Originally, Chennai-based Aarti Sunder completed her degree at the Rachna Sansad Academy of Fine Arts and Craft in Mumbai and then studied at Netherland’s Dutch Art Institute. She graduated from DIA in 2015. Further, Sunder received a Sarai Fellowship in 2012. She was an artist in residence at the international studio & curatorial Program in Brooklyn, US. She also received a fellowship from the Inlaks Shivdasani foundation.

Also Read: India’s Women Artists: Shweta Bhattad Uses Art For Social Change

Akansha is an intern with SheThePeople.TV