SHIFTING THE GAZE MOULD AND METAL

SHIFTING THE GAZE

- BY NAMRATA DEWANJEE

Metal and wax. We often don't think of the two in conjunction. Metal demands attention, arresting the viewer through its brilliant flamboyance. Wax, on the other hand, is endlessly pliable and melts under a candle. There is nothing the two have in common when it comes to materiality, yet their shared craft narrative can be traced back to Harappa in the Indus Valley. When designer Frédéric Imbert visited India for a collaboration with Æquo Gallery, it was not just India's ancient metalwork that caught his eye but also the wax that is traditionally lost in the process. “The collaboration with Æquo Gallery was not only a beautiful creative journey, but also a deeply human experience centered around the art of bronze,” says Frédéric. In Chhattisgarh, a particular black