Transfixed by nature’s rhythms, Kalpana isolates subtle stages of transformation, suspending a single moment in time, and thereby capturing the specific stage of evolution she saw it in.
Rooted in the minute, and often overlooked elements of nature, through this body of work, Kalpana documents the transient cycles and persistent patterns that govern the natural world. Her practice traces the ebbs and flows of life, the awe-inspiring and the ordinary, and most notably, the gradual but graceful process of aging and decaying.
Transfixed by nature’s rhythms, Kalpana isolates subtle stages of transformation, suspending a single moment in time, and thereby capturing the specific stage of evolution she saw it in. Through this, she draws attention to the fleetingness of life and the eventuality of evolution, a universal condition that binds all living forms, humans and nature alike.
From a distance, her works resemble topographical maps, layered terrains and shifting landscapes that accentuate the neglected, less aesthetic aspects of nature. On closer observation, each work reflects a magnified and different facet of nature observed at a unique instant, focusing on intricate details such as the fine web of veins found on a leaf, the delicate scars of insect bites, and abstract forms that evolve into organic patterns.
Working across pen and ink, watercolour, charcoal, graphite and acrylic, to bring out the finer textures and subtleties that may otherwise go unnoticed, her practice also employs the techniques of watercolour washing, cut-out, and etching to mimic the depth and texture found in nature's bounty.
What began as Kalpana’s enchantment with the world of flora and fauna, grew into an exploration of the dualities that define it - the coexistence of beauty amidst harshness, the simultaneous dance of growth and decay, the extraordinary that can be found in the mundane, and the ways in which these opposing forces are also mirrored in human life.
Developed during her recent summer residency at Chemould CoLab, this presentation showcases Kalpana’s final body of work. This exhibition is an invitation not merely to stop and stare, but to linger and notice how beauty hides in plain sight. It leaves you with two enduring truths: everything is always in a state of motion, and that opposites rarely exist apart.
Transfixed by nature’s rhythms, Kalpana isolates subtle stages of transformation, suspending a single moment in time, and thereby capturing the specific stage of evolution she saw it in. Through this, she draws attention to the fleetingness of life and the eventuality of evolution, a universal condition that binds all living forms, humans and nature alike.
From a distance, her works resemble topographical maps, layered terrains and shifting landscapes that accentuate the neglected, less aesthetic aspects of nature. On closer observation, each work reflects a magnified and different facet of nature observed at a unique instant, focusing on intricate details such as the fine web of veins found on a leaf, the delicate scars of insect bites, and abstract forms that evolve into organic patterns.
Working across pen and ink, watercolour, charcoal, graphite and acrylic, to bring out the finer textures and subtleties that may otherwise go unnoticed, her practice also employs the techniques of watercolour washing, cut-out, and etching to mimic the depth and texture found in nature's bounty.
What began as Kalpana’s enchantment with the world of flora and fauna, grew into an exploration of the dualities that define it - the coexistence of beauty amidst harshness, the simultaneous dance of growth and decay, the extraordinary that can be found in the mundane, and the ways in which these opposing forces are also mirrored in human life.
Developed during her recent summer residency at Chemould CoLab, this presentation showcases Kalpana’s final body of work. This exhibition is an invitation not merely to stop and stare, but to linger and notice how beauty hides in plain sight. It leaves you with two enduring truths: everything is always in a state of motion, and that opposites rarely exist apart.
