For those déjà vu moments

Everyday sights tend to grow mundane over time; but not for Aditi Aggarwal. A student from Kalakriti Art Gallery’s residency programme, Aditi became observant of the sights around, which started to mean something to her. She recently displayed two of her works at an exhibition titled “On The Wall”, alongside artist duo Swathi and Vijay.

Artist Aditi Aggarwal recently displayed her works at Kalakriti Art Gallery. She shares her thoughts behind the two works, which were varied as well as complimentary in their own right

Having arrived on October 4 in Hyderabad for the residency programme, Aditi realised that the daily objects she saw each day deserved more of our attention. She explains, “I was living in a bungalow and the first few days I was alone. That’s when I began to record what I saw through text, photographs and sketches.”

One of her works recently displayed at Kalakriti Art Gallery is titled ‘Familiar Objects at an Unfamiliar Place’; referring to the items she sketched. The piece is a set of 57 drawings on A5 sheets. Drawings included common objects such as broomsticks or bottles of spices in the kitchen like dhaniya and haldi. The drawings are repeated and are described by her as having done them obsessively.

Aditi explains, “I was reminded of the value of the objects in terms of their worth as opposed to their price. These items are familiar to me even back home in Delhi, and that’s the reason why I chose this title.” Another of her works titled ‘Specimen (1 - 6)’ was done with acrylic on paper and had visual layering in it.

It is a continuation of her practice that explores the idea of repetition. She has worked with a range of vibrant colours to create an abstract outcome. “Before I went onto something abstract, I was working with a lot of organic structures. This is my reflection from that study and my exploration of layering,” states Aditi.

She further explains that the process this piece has gone through to reach its final outcome is a narration in itself. Making use of squish painting method, these specimens have multi-layering. “The squish painting pattern was like a base and it was my challenge to create a similar squish painting effect with a brush, mirroring the strokes on both sides,” she says.

The 27-year-old previous graduated from an MFA in Painting from University of Delhi, and she currently practices at Garhi Studios, Lalit Kala Akademi Regional Centre in her hometown.

By Elita Enoch