Interview

On ‘Mathesis: dub,dub,dub’

‘Mathesis: dub,dub,dub,’ a site-specific work by Avantika Bawa, held at Gallery Maskara, Mumbai recently, draws upon the architecture of the gallery, which was a warehouse, its history and the geography of its surroundings. The installation, using crates, bricks, blue prints and projections, were part of the installation, creating in the process, a transformed experience of the gallery space. In an interview conducted before the opening of the installation, Bawa, based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and New Delhi, speaks to Craig Drennen, the USA-based artist and critic about the evolution of the project.

Avantika Bawa

Craig Drennen: How did this exhibition at Gallery Maskara come about?

Avantika Bawa: I have wanted to work with alternative and fresh spaces in India where the architecture was unique, yet conducive to my site-specific sensibility.  Gallery Maskara’s mission, architecture, and location were perfect for what I wanted to do. This prompted my initial contact with Abhay Maskara, the gallery director.  We had a series of discussions earlier this year followed by a recce of the space and then this show.

CD: What is the relevance of the exhibition title?

AB: The title suggests a sense of calculable logic – ‘Mathesis,’ from science. And -- and the repetition of “dub dub dub” alludes to randomness and movement. Formally the 1:3 ratio of the words is interesting, since it mirrors the stacking action of the crates used in the show. This combination works well and I also like the sound it creates.

CD: Why did you want to use boxes for this show?

AB: The modular quality of boxes and their literal scale fits my aesthetic sensibility. Often I see boxes that need no alterations. They are perfect. The fact that they are a container for something else is also appealing. They imply movement (shipping) while also being rather stoic, static and cold. I like this contrast. They could be described as micro-architectures (term coined by Belgian artist Tilman). The boxes used in this show come from different sources, but are painted in chromatic grays, to give them a sense of uniformity.

CD: You have called your artistic practice ‘intervention.’  Could you explain what you mean, and how you considered this for the Maskara show?

AB: Lately I have been interested in how minor interruptions break the surface flow --one odd tile in a pattern, a weed in a manicured patch of lawn, an obsolete fixture in a ceiling are all accidentals that draw attention to what they intervene. In my work, I first find situations - mostly architectural, that seem a little too slick and then proceed to make a polite intervention to disrupt this ‘perfection’. Often, the work adapts itself to the space, and has a deliberate presence that it ceases to be an intervention at all. In some of these situations, the work is in ‘dialogue’ with the architecture and not invasive. In other situations it becomes self-contained and the site, although important, is now part of its past.

In all these cases though, the action essentially proceeds from an intuitive response, much like a sketch, to one that is bold and deliberate, yet simple. Retaining the freshness of this intuitive gesture is very important, especially as the scale increases.

Mathesis, dub dub dub began as a conceptual intervention but has now grown beyond that. I am bringing construction and packaging materials back into the gallery -- which used to be a warehouse -- in a way that invades the space with authority and elegance. Some of the packaging comes from neighboring galleries and businesses and will be returned once the show is over. So in some sense the works will have an after life as they get repurposed and travel.

The literal scale of these modular structures begin to compete with the vastness of the space as they are stacked and piled, creating in the process a ‘formal tension’ that changes -- due to the variables in the stacking -- as one walks around the space.
The use of a relatively limited color palette has been informed to an extent by water, shipping materials, and naval bases. These formal choices attempt to draw attention to the dynamics and history of the gallery and its surroundings.

Eventually, I hope to create an experience that is both immersive and fragmented.

CD: So you consider the entire exhibition to be one piece?

AB: Yes and No. The wall drawing, 3D and 4D components are a singular piece. The works on paper serve as blueprints for the installation, and were made while I was planning the show but before I began the physical installation.  Eventually these drawings become a form of documentation, since the installation itself will likely be destroyed.

CD: The installation will be destroyed? Many artists who’ve built careers by making wall-based work—like Sol Lewitt or Lawrence Weiner--have as part of their practice a set of formal instructions that allow works to be remade at any time.  Can your pieces be recreated or do they exist only for the duration of your exhibitions? 

AB: None of my work has ever been perfectly recreated. In the two instances where I did recreate a wall work, a lot of it was altered in the process of reinstalling, because of prompts triggered by the new site. I now consider those works variations of the original.
I believe my work can be truly recreated only if my hand is removed from the process. This kills any temptation I may have to alter, add or expand the work. For this, I would need to compile a set of formal instructions that would also include restrictions. It’s a system that I am interested in and as you mention, has an important history with artists that I respect. So yes, some of my works can be recreated and have a set of formal instructions, but until now they have not been.

CD:  Is this piece at Maskara one that could be re-created elsewhere?

AB: I do not know yet.

CD:  You’ve had a decade of activity in both the India and the U.S.  Are there any interesting differences in the art worlds of the two countries?

AB: On the surface yes, but not when it come down to it. The recent explosion of alternative spaces in India, the presence of Indian artists in biennials, and international art fairs are tied to India’s art market boom. Some of the work coming out has been cutting edge, but a lot of it has been also been thematic, content driven, and narrative. I may be wrong, but it is my observation that there is still a lack of non-objective works coming out of India. I see that in the U.S. as well.  In Europe however, there exists a strong audience for this kind of practice. Belgium has a full museum devoted to it - the Center for Contemporary Non-objective Art.  One may argue and say that content driven work is truer to an Indian aesthetic and comes from a rich history. While I agree, I also realize that Indian inventions like the number zero may appear simple on the outside, but are powerful and complex on the inside -- and this informs my work to a greater degree.  It would be nice to see more work in India that explores these types of ideas. 

CD:  Do you have any final thoughts on the continued relevancy of the monochrome in the art world of 2009?

AB: Now more than ever it has potential. It’s potent, beautiful, and extremely complex, yet simple. That is why I work with it.

Photographs: David de Souza.

(Avantika Bawa  (www.avantikabawa. com) is an artist and curator, based in Atlanta, Georgia and New Delhi India. She has an MFA in Painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1998) and a BFA in the same from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India (1995) and was a participant at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (2008). She is represented by Saltworks Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Craig Drennen is an artist living in Atlanta, GA, USA. He has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies and MFA’s in Painting and Art History and was a 2006 participant at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. He is represented by Samson Projects in Boston, MA. He has written art criticism for New York Arts, Dialogue, and Drain magazines, and has written catalog essays for Tony Wight Gallery in Chicago, and the Contemporary Art Center in Virginia Beach, VA, USA..)