Bharti Kher has always felt different. Born in London in 1969, she grew up in an English suburb as a person of Indian descent, which instilled in her a sense of otherness – an experience that shapes her diverse practice as a contemporary artist today. She wonders, “What Bharti would I be in America?” Her desire to explore what it feels like to be “something, someone or somewhere else” is endless. Central to her work is the idea of having multiple versions of ourselves, and of a universal consciousness.
This is reflected in his survey show at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) – which is part retrospective, part new commissions. Title AlchemyThe exhibition of sculpture and 2D works (created between 2000 and 2024) covers themes of diversity, mythology, identity and gender. AncestorAn 18-foot-high painted bronze mother figure with 23 heads protruding from her body. Commissioned for the south-east entrance of New York’s Central Park, the 2022 creation, “a mythic female force paying homage to generations before and after me”, has proudly crossed the ocean to take up residence at the West Yorkshire Art Gallery.
bharti kher
The light-filled space houses a powerful group of hybrid figures – some women, some animals, some goddesses. Many have been moulded from the real bodies of women known by Kher. “Each creature is a mythic urban goddess, partly true and partly imaginary, partly me and partly you,” she says. Elsewhere, there is also VirusMonochromatic spiral of large Bindi Kher has been painting one every year since 2010. Slated for completion in 2039, the version she created for YSP is bright yellow.
Kher’s intermediary family
Statements in Bronze
Organised in collaboration with Bengaluru-based NGO RMZ Foundation, the show also features Kolkata-based artist Suhasini Kejriwal. According to Anu Menda, managing trustee of RMZ, the exhibition aims to bridge cultural divides and promote women artists. She says, “In a rapidly evolving world, international collaborations are more important than ever. By sharing unique artistic practices and approaches, stereotypes are challenged, commonalities are discovered, and new perspectives are gained.”
Although Kejriwal’s articles appear more delicate than Kher’s, they too challenge the audience. Garden of Ethereal Bliss It reflects the division between human and nature. “It is the physical embodiment of an imaginary landscape – my experience in my garden surrounded by plants and birdsong,” she says, of the works that underscore the evolution of her practice with totemic sculpture. “It is playful and surreal, and references the work of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.” For example, Eyepods, an anthropomorphic plant-human hybrid with brightly coloured body parts and leaves, reflects an unfamiliar combination of familiar things. It is part of a collection of bronze sculptures that “reflect the difference between the real and the imaginary, the everyday and the fantastic, and the familiar and the unfamiliar that is constantly being negotiated in our own perception”.
suhasini kejriwal
The garden also houses four huge bronze works of Kher Intermediaries series. What a small beginning Golu Over the years the dolls grew in size and used a variety of materials. “Traditionally displayed in homes during Navaratri, these figurines pay tribute to family relationships passed down from generation to generation, incorporating common people, animals, food and deities,” says the artist, who lives between Delhi and London. She collected the figurines for several years before sending them to her Delhi studio in 2016, where many were broken. Through careful repair and reassembly, Kher created unexpected, hybrid assemblages, stripping objects of their original associations and purposes – freeing them to embody new possibilities and meanings. “These fluid creatures embody an intermediate state, capturing the ability of people, animals or objects to transcend the constraints of reality and become something entirely new.”
Enhancing diversity
Women have traditionally been overlooked in sculpture, especially in outdoor, public works. Menda believes Kher and Kejriwal’s works are a great way to highlight exceptional talent and amplify more diverse representation.
Anu Menda with Bharti Kher
“The growth of Indian art is having an impact on the global art industry. By actively supporting artists, the Foundation aims to connect global contemporary art to India’s cultural context, promoting artistic diversity and gender equality,” she says. “By celebrating artists like Bharati and Suhasini, the Foundation hopes to inspire young, emerging female artists who can see more inclusive and equitable spaces for themselves.”
The writer and creative consultant is based in Mumbai.
