Electric Floral Fantasy by Eeshani Mitra at Method Kala Ghoda
Date: Ongoing till 7th April 2024.
Time: Open daily from 11 am to 6 pm except Mondays and Tuesdays. Address -Method Kala Ghoda, 86, Nagindas Master Rd, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001
MUMBAI: Method Kala Ghoda presents ‘Electric Floral Fantasy’ Eeshani Mitra’s second solo with Method and her first solo exhibition at Method – Kala Ghoda, Mumbai where Mitra lives and works. This new body of work includes a series of printed photographic installations, video installations, and wax works, the exhibition continues Eeshani’s exploration of natural and synthetic materials, giving rise to works where the foreign and the familiar collide. With her abstract photographic compositions that are created by employing a range of image production techniques, she creates a dialogue between the natural and the unnatural, immersing the viewer in the details of its elements.
Extending beyond traditional narratives and formats, the body of work is a window to a surreal world, which is scanned and sometimes molded in wax by the artist. Interested in the physical interaction of the viewer and the work, Mitra’s wax works invite the viewers to touch and investigate the surface of her immersion experiments. Textures emerge, as the nooks and groves that tend to go amiss show themselves amongst the space occupied in the wax by floral articles, nylon, paints, plastic, moss, and other organic materials.
Eeshani finds inspiration in an emulsive blend of organic and inorganic materials. Her work starts with elements that intrigue her. She observes and understands how the pieces come together, creating textures and patterns each unique to the blend, resulting in compositions that are surreal and dreamlike.
The artist experiments with a range of drying and blending techniques with the materials while at the same time preserving a balance of elements in her compositions. The textures created in her images are a result of playing with different viscous mediums such as oils, glycerin, detergent, colors, and water. These mediums are placed in a flat-bottomed glass container, where she mixes each synthetic element independently in steps to discern the formation of textures slowly before adding organic materials such as flowers, leaves, and moss.
For her images, she makes use of a large format scanner, capturing the highly detailed textures and minutia of her emulsions. Aside from using glass containers for holding the mediums while scanning, Eeshani often drains out the remaining liquids and transfers them between plastic sheets. These sheets are then carefully placed over the scanner glass and manipulated by hand while the machine begins to scan the ever-changing shapes created by these distortions.
Through multiple attempts by the scanner to create imaging of the fluid compositions, the artist finds and enhances the parts that speak to her.
To make the wax sculpture work, Eeshani begins by melting natural wax in a deep container placed over a hot water bath. Gradually, she adds colors and selects various elements such as preserved floral articles, acrylic, and plastic color gels. She frequently integrates pieces of moss such as preserved reindeer lichens, which are meticulously positioned inside a square silicone mold. Subsequently, she pours the molten wax over them and adds additional layers of elements on top.
Once the sculpture is prepared and repoured for vibrancy, the mold is set aside to prevent dust accumulation during the curing process. It remains undisturbed for a day before being removed from the mold.
Eeshani Mitra is a visual artist and zine maker. Her work spans various media, including photography, video installation, sound, print, and sculpture. By employing a range of image production techniques, she juxtaposes common objects—floral articles, linen, wax, vinyl, and other synthetic materials—to create vivid imagery where the foreign and the familiar seem to collide. Eeshani lives and works between Kolkata and Mumbai.