In a recently concluded exhibition, titled 10-Chairs X STIR, artists were paired with designers to react to the idea of a seemingly mundane everyday object, a chair. The result was exemplary, unique works of art. The two works that stood out for me, personally, were the works of Martand Khosla/Gunjan Gupta and Karl Antao/Gurjit Matharoo.

Martand-Gunjan installation, titled Chairity starts at home, comprised 24 wall mounted-playful chair-objects. With the idea of reimagining seats, the duo explored places and planes of rest. They used brick-dust, core to Khosla’s practice, and brass-sheet that is often used by Gupta in her works. The simplicity and humour of this collection is invigorating, though the architectural nature of the objects had overpowering reference of Khosla's influence.

‘Me-Raaj’ by Karl Antao and Gurjit Matharoo commented on chair as an indication of worldly possession. Using fibre optics, hundreds of light-bulbs hung in the form of a conventional chair. These lights were programmed to switch on and off in a rhythmic flow, making the chair disappear with every breath. It forced the viewers to wonder on the notion of what is real and what may be a mirage.

The event, hosted by Gallery Espace and presented by STIR, was in support of The Good Karma Shelter at Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh, India) for abandoned animals. On the preview night, STIR was in conversation with participating artists and designers. The group deliberated on the need of distinction between creative disciplines of design and art. The fact that there were varied views is not a surprise at all! There was also dialogue on the idea of collaboration to produce co-authored single works of art. And finally, art for a cause as a format to acquire works of art was a topic of deliberation. While some may believe that art should be acquired only when one falls in love with it, an underlying idea of charity helps raise funds to support a cause. The sales at this event are in the form of a silent auction.

And where did the group sit for this illustrious conversation? …no, not on any of the chairs they produced. They sat on a humble staircase!

A glimpse of the remaining chairs exhibited at Gallery Espace:-

The participating artists-designers at 10 Chairs X STIR

1. Anita Dube X Madhav Raman
2. Bose Krishnamachari X Alex Davis
3. GR Iranna X Klove
4. Karl Antao X Gurjit Matharoo
5. Marcantanio X Scarlet Splendour
6. Martand Khosla X Gunjan Gupta
7. Puneet Kaushik X Ayush Kaslival
8. Shakuntala Kulkarni X Sanjay Puri
9. Valay Gada X Mandeep Nagy

The event was co-curated by Pramiti Madhavji and Sonali Purewal, and hosted by Renu Modi at Gallery Espace.

(For enquiries please contact www.sonalipurewal.com)