Sojwal Samant goes ‘2 feet above’ at Sakshi Gallery!

Sakshi Gallery’s address has an interesting ingredient – Pasta! Yes, located on the third Pasta Lane of Mumbai’s Colaba art district, Sakshi Gallery has been consistently organizing contemporary art exhibitions by young as well as seasoned artists. This time, there is a curious addition to the spatial coordinates of the exhibition. It says, ‘2 feet above’! Puzzled? Don’t be. Instead, experience this unique exhibition yourself to find out more.

Sojwal Samant offers interestingly diverse visual experiences to the viewer through her remarkable creations in the form of photographs, sculptures, installations, and video art. A ‘shocking pink’ coloured work in the form of a sofa, titled ‘Kolbalish’ (A body pillow in Bengali) catches attention instantly. One of the wooden sculptures literally ‘stands’ two feet tall hence finds a place in the very title of the exhibition. Even though it is inspired from the wooden women’s shoes from the 16^th century, it also forms a pivotal piece in the thought behind this set of works. Standing two feet above allows one to sort of have a bird’s eye view of the world. It can make things clearer, gives a fresh perspective and in a more creative sense, doubles as an adventure, too. Every piece of work here is unique yet reflects a common characteristic that is deeply contemplative yet gleefully adventurous. So much so, that even when Sojwal is not personally present at the gallery, her presence is felt through her works.

At times, she goes on a cloud hunt when she literally hunts them down like a prized kill. Whereas at other times she goes on a walk standing two feet above the ground as she walks with an unassuming pair of sticks. Thereafter she wittily chuckles as she shows us a sieve, and recollects an old saying, claiming that she went to God with that sieve, when God was handing out some brains to humans! However, one quickly realizes that she makes a deeply meaningful statement there. What she catches in that sieve is a handful of beautiful white seashells while what she drops down is the grey and sad looking sand. This seems like a metaphor for the very nature of art – art is something that is not as analytical as science, yet it draws out the inherent beauty of life! It may also be a metaphor for life. Every person may have a different ‘sieve’ to distinguish between things that they want and don’t want in their life. What is beautiful to an artist might as well be trash to others!

At times when Sojwal is not cloud-hunting with a double barrel gun, she unleashes another weapon – a sword! Throughout the exhibition, she thus meets us in a series of 17 self-portrait photographs with a varied list of ‘Objects on her sleeve’. In another series, she presents meditative sculptures of separated human organs which appear to be chanting a universal hymn of human life that is drenched in the inevitability of death. Surprisingly, each human organ seems like a living person with a unique personality.

There is versatility of creative imagination, a deep sensitivity, and a mischievous adventure in every work of Sojwal. The variety of experiments she has done with the media and plethora of ideas that she has explored are immense, yet every work is strongly rooted in the ground realities of the human condition. This makes her work a truly ‘Contemporary art’.

In an exclusive conversation with Chinha Art News, Sojwal said that she does not want to restrict the freedom of interpretation of the viewers by giving titles to her works. Yet, when she gives any title, it only suggests the viewers what they might experience, but does not limit them to only a particular interpretation. This is an important characteristic of her work which somehow seems to originate from her free-thinking creative mind.

Further in the conversation, she elaborated her creative process which often begins with a small experience or an observation from the day-to-day life, wherein her mind can transcend the boundaries of imagination. She then jumps into the moment of adventure, explores it thoroughly, until she conceptualizes the work in her mind. Thereafter she explores various media or materials that express her concept appropriately. Then while shaping the materials, she enjoys the sheer ‘materiality’ of those physical objects, which sometimes may lead to newer facets of the concept.

Her art statement beautifully sums up her creative endeavour. It says, “I am occupying space, for every inch lost in time. I am rediscovering, reclaiming the ‘self’ and in doing so, engaging the viewer to question their notions of power, vulnerability, of beauty and violence and the implications of it that shape the world around us.”

Every creation in this exhibition resonates with this spirit.

Artist profile

Sojwal Samant is based at Vadodara, Gujrat (India). Her educational credentials are BFA in Fine Arts, Diploma and Post Diploma in Sculpture from MS University, Vadodara. She completed a three-month international exchange program at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris.

She has had ten exhibitions so far since 2002, which includes Group shows in London as well as in Amsterdam and Group as well as Solo shows in leading art galleries in Mumbai, New Delhi and Vadodara.

About Sakshi Gallery

Since 1986, Sakshi Gallery has developed a strong repertoire of Indian and International artists and continues introducing and supporting emerging Indian artists. With a sprawling space of 3000 sq ft, it is one of the premier galleries of India. Sakshi Gallery has showcased landmark exhibitions of Indian art all over the world, representing important Indian artists like Rekha Rodwittiya, Surendran Nair, Jehangir Sabavala, Manjit Bawa, Manjunath Kamath and others. It has held exhibitions of Indian art all over the world and has introduced to the Indian audience, work of illustrious international artists such as El Anatsui, Gregory Crewdson and Julian Opie.

Sojwal Samant’s solo exhibition ‘2 feet above’ is open for visitors till 20^th June 2023, Monday to Saturday between 11 am and 6 pm.

Address: Sakshi Gallery, Third Pasta Lane, Colaba, Mumbai 400005

For further details please contact Maneksha Monteiro on +919820498480

Vineel Bhurke