This exhibition marks Vishwa Shroff’s first major solo show at TARQ. Curated by London based writer and curator, Charlie Levine, the exhibition brings together four series by the artist that explore the potential of spaces and objects otherwise considered banal, in her medium of choice – drawing. As she journeys through the everyday, Shroff’s intricate works bring alive the formalistic wonder and potential for stories within the mundane. The viewer is drawn into a meditative contemplation of inconspicuous corners, partisan walls (playfully called ‘Party walls’) window frames and floors.
Shroff’s precise and linear aesthetic lends itself well to her references of architecture and urban-scape. The artist’s superb draughtsmanship and astounding attention to detail is highlighted by her use of the watercolour medium and her palette of earthy tones. The sharpness of her lines and the intensity of details also bring to attention Shroff’s exploration of the inherent state of flux that marks the material and spiritual reality of objects and spaces. A missing tile in a rendering of a mosaic floor simultaneously signifies the presence of absence and the potential of a future presence.
Providing insight into Drawn Space, Charlie Levine, who has collaborated with the artist on numerous projects, says – “Shroff is a master of line, precision and perspective. These works at TARQ represent her methodical approach to working and how, by minimising content/colour, her observations become other – neither illustration or architectural drawing, but an insight into how we could look at the world if we narrow our eyes and trip into the whimsy of our minds and memories.”
