Artistic expressions in clay

CLAY, MAN'S earliest and most versatile medium of creativity, is occasionally honed into exciting, even near-poetic expressions composed of subtly differing tones, lines and textures.

Take, for instance, Delhi-based architect-potters Anubir and Bhavana Singh's pottery expressions currently being exhibited at the Vimonisha Art Gallery. Here the clay is textured, etched, sculpted - and finished with a special `secret' process evolved by chemical engineer Sarbjeet Singh - into a lifestyle range for the discerning, and the connoisseur who looks beyond the mundane and the merely decorative in clay craft.

From traditional clay urns to futuristic lamp stands, geometric concepts in table tops and tribal Warli figures to pottery - inclusive of furniture forms - the `Poettery' exhibition is as much a fascinating look at clay's response to contemporary lifestyle as the designer couple's commitment to bring the best in today's design to the medium.

The colours are of the earth, mud, beige, moss-green, the occasional blue. Ingenious shapes in the contemporary milieu mingle with etched pot-like urns, and flower vases which could fit into any design language from the geometric to the classical and ethnic. The etching, grooving and sculpting on pots, urns, and lampstands give each pottery item a brilliant individuality.

Design decoration is varied. The sculpture of a half-veiled, classically featured woman is an oft-repeated theme on mural pot and lampstand giving them a neo-Indian classical touch. The murals are particularly arresting - beautifully conceived and finished.

`Poettery's innovative venture into furniture is a striking feature of the exhibition. Wrought iron dining, coffee and occasional tables have been topped by striking terracotta table tops, making each functional piece a work of art. Wooden consoles with designed and etched terracotta are striking furniture statement. Mirrors edged with part- terracotta frames and terracotta freizes worked into chairbacks reflect the exciting design possibilities of involving clay in contemporary living.

The `Poettery' exhibition will be on till April 20 at the Vimonisha Art Gallery, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, off Nungambakkam.

PUSHPA CHARI

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