How art is shaping spaces & structures

EJA GAVANKAR PRACTISES the art of turning the familiar into sites of introspection, unlocking the extraordinary in the everyday.

- VAISHALI DAR

EJA GAVANKAR PRACTISES the art of turning the familiar into sites of introspection, unlocking the extraordinary in the everyday. Her artwork, Khora, for instance, installed at the T2 terminal of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, is a site-specific marvel in brick, cement, and other construction material. The 3-ft sculpture is inspired by the concept of Khora, a philosophical term described by ancient Greek philosopher Plato as a receptacle, a space, or an interval.

"It is neither existence nor non-existence, but an interval between, in which forms were originally present. It is a space of being neither here nor there, of being neither this nor that," says Gavankar.

The concept lies in making a sphere made of two equal hemispheres, but the hemispheres do not form a complete sphere. "It's frozen in the process...it is becoming a sphere," the Mumbai-based artist explains. The work is symbolic to the venue. The airport connects with passengers, who have memories and emotions associated with a place they are coming from, and look forward to the new experiences as they move to a new place. "The journey is transitory and fluid and so is the sculpture. It is a futuristic form of how we are always becoming something," she adds.

The fluid nature of space is intriguing for Gavankar. She shapes form and function to introduce elements of surprise while tracing a similarity as found in skies and rivers, solid pillars, corners, and architecture.