Alwar Balasubramaniam

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Alwar Balasubramaniam
Born1971 (age 52–53)
Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian

Alwar Balasubramaniam (born 1971), commonly known as "Bala," is an Indian artist renowned for his diverse body of work spanning sculpture, painting, and printmaking. His artistic repertoire delves into themes ranging from the corporeal form and its interaction with the environment to ephemeral concepts such as the shadow of a shadow. Enjoying international recognition, Balasubramaniam's creations have been prominently showcased in museums and exhibitions across the globe.

Career[edit]

Bala was born in Tamil Nadu, India. He obtained a BFA from the Government College of Arts, Chennai in 1995, initially specializing in printmaking. Following his graduation, he furthered his studies at the Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop (EPW)[1] and the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, Vienna, focusing on prints and paintings. Subsequently, his artistic direction evolved during his residency at the MacDowell Colony in Massachusetts, where he transitioned towards sculpture and installation work in the early 2000s. Captivated by the multi-dimensional aspects of sculpture, he has since garnered considerable acclaim in this field.

Bala's inaugural solo exhibition in the United States was hosted at the Talwar Gallery in New York City in 2002. The exhibition showcased sculptures crafted from casts of his own body, monoprints, and a heat-sensitive artwork that unveiled itself only under specific temperatures. Bala's artistic exploration commences with an interrogation of perception, culminating in a redefined comprehension of preconceived notions. Infusing his works with a firm conceptual foundation, he exhibits a playful approach to execution. Over the course of his career, Bala has exhibited his creations at both the Talwar Gallery in New York and New Delhi.

Bala's noteworthy exhibitions include Sk(in)[2] at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C.[3] For this showcase, Bala conceived a large-scale steel sculpture installed outdoors. Comprising intricately welded steel components, the sculpture evokes imagery reminiscent of a tree trunk or the human heart. Its interior elements, titled Wound, Hidden Sight, and Untitled, interact with the surrounding walls in three distinct sections. The artworks within the exhibition collectively explore the concept of skin's reversibility, its presence as an exterior covering juxtaposed with its allusion to internal depth. Additionally, Bala has participated in significant group exhibitions such as the 50th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Contemplating the Void in 2010,[4] and On Line at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from 2010–2011.[5] These renowned institutions curated exhibitions featuring artists recognized for their innovative and transformative contributions to the art world.

Bala’s works have been exhibited in museums, art festivals, and galleries worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), New York, NY;[6] The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY;[7] The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC;[8] Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY;[9] Mori Art Museum, Japan;[10] Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi, India;[11] Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington;[12] Essl Museum, Austria;[13] 1st Singapore Biennale;[14] École des Beaux Arts, Paris, France;[15] National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australia;[16] and the 18th Biennale of Sydney, Australia.[17] Bala has been a guest lecturer at the Art Department of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and a featured speaker at TED.[18]

Work[edit]

Hold Nothing (2012) at The Phillips Collection in 2022

Bala prefers to identify as "an artist" without emphasizing any specific medium. His approach centers on the expression of ideas and selecting materials that best convey them, rather than limiting himself to a particular material and tailoring his work accordingly.

Unlike his peers, Bala's art typically doesn't reference current social or geographic settings. Critics say this contributes to his slower global recognition, especially compared to artists who highlight their cultural identity more prominently.[19] Bala's artistic focus centers on the human body and its interaction with the material environment, particularly emphasizing intangible elements such as light, air, and shadow, which shape the perception of physical sensations.[20] Bala's artwork explores existential inquiries concerning self and the complexities of our reality. His pieces delve into questions about the subjective nature of perception, the ambiguity surrounding beliefs in the unseen, and the relationship between our bodies and our environment. Through his art, Bala offers insights into these inquiries, challenging viewers' perceptions and introducing alternative perspectives. Additionally, many of Bala's compositions engage with the concept of Energy, the vital yet imperceptible force underpinning life. While his earlier works symbolically depicted energy, his later pieces suggest its presence indirectly, leaving its effects as the sole indication. Installations like Energy Field (2009) or Link (2009) physically manifest various forms of energy while obscuring their origins, highlighting the complex interplay of unseen forces within the physical realm.

Body as Shell (2011-2015) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2022

Often using his own body as a basis for his sculptures, Bala engages in a profound, but not humourless, investigation into the metaphysics of selfhood.[21] In several of his sculptural series, Bala incorporates casts derived from his own body, with a specific focus on the skin as both a physical and metaphorical divider delineating internal and external realms, the visible and the concealed, and the self and the external environment. In one early work, Self in Progress (2002), a life-sized seated figure cast from the artist's body is depicted as partially embedded within a wall. The figure is positioned at a transitional threshold, seemingly entering from one side of the wall and emerging from another, with its head obscured within the structure. The sculpture presents a contemplation on human agency, suggesting the ability to transcend physical barriers and imbuing matter with vitality. In this momentary encounter, a sense of interconnectedness between animate and inanimate elements is evoked, as the artwork and its surrounding space merge into a unified entity. As the artist once remarked, "We usually seek clarity in details while the entire picture may be blurred. To me life is not about clear moments but seeking clarity in life as a whole.

Selected exhibitions[edit]

[22]

Solo exhibitions
2023
Talwar Gallery, Mirror on the ground, New Delhi, India[23]
2019
Talwar Gallery, Becoming Nature, New York, NY, US[24]
2018
Talwar Gallery, Liquid Lake Mountain, New Delhi, India[25]
2016
Talwar Gallery, Rain in the midnight, New York, NY, US[26]
2015
Talwar Gallery, layers of wind, lines of time, New York, NY, US[27]
2012
Talwar Gallery, New York, NY, US
Talwar Gallery, Nothing From My Hands, New Delhi, India[28]
The Phillips Collection, Sk(in), Washington DC, US[29]
2009
Talwar Gallery, (In)between, New Delhi, India
2007
Talwar Gallery, New York, NY, US
Talwar Gallery, (In)visible, New Delhi, India
2005
Van Every/Smith Galleries, Unfixed Being, Davidson, North Carolina, US
2004
Talwar Gallery, Into Thin Air, New York, NY, US
2002
Fundacio pilar I Joan Miro, Traces, Majoca, Spain[30]
Talwar Gallery, New York, NY
2000
Association Mouvement Art Contemporain, Chamalieres, France
The British Council, New Delhi, Inidia
1999
Die Kleine Galerie, Vienna, Austria
Carloz Ionzano Gallery, Cadaques, Spain
Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop, UK
1998
Taller Galleria, Cadaques, Spain
Art Inc., New Delhi, India
Selected group exhibitions
2023
The Phillips Collection, Pour, Tear, Carve, Washington, DC, US[31]
2022
Talwar Gallery, From Three, Two, New York, NY, US[32]
2021
Talwar Gallery, as the wind blows, New York, NY, US[33]
2019
Arvind Indigo Museum, Alchemy: Explorations in Indigo, Ahmedabad, India[34]
2018
FRAC Lorraine, You Remind Me of Someone, Metz, France
2015
The Phillips Collection, Intersections, Washington DC, US
2014
Seattle Art Museum, City Dwellers, Seattle, Washington, US
2013
Columbus College of Art and Design, WALL, Columbus, OH, US[35]
2012
18th Biennale of Sydney, all our relations, Sydney, Australia[36]
Montclair Art Museum, Look Now, Montclair, NJ, US
2011
National Portrait Gallery, Beyond the Self, Canberra, Australia, and travel to
McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Australia,: Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, University of South Australia
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Australia
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Time Unfolded, New Delhi, India
2010
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), On Line, New York, NY, US
Guggenheim Museum, Contemplating the Void, New York, NY, US
2009
Devi Art Foundation, Poddar Collection, Where in the World, New Delhi, India[37]
2008
Mori Art Museum, Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art, Tokyo Japan and travel to
National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea
Essl Museum, Klosterneurburg, Wien, Austria
2006
Singapore Biennale, Belief, Singapore
2005
University of Massachusetts, Transition and Transformation, Amherst, MA, US
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Indian Summer, Paris, France
Talwar Gallery, desi(re), New York, NY, US
2001
8th International Cairo Biennale, Cairo, Egypt
Finding the Center at the Margins, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, India
6th International Biennale of Drawing and Graphic Arts, Gyor, Hungary
2000
Aar Paar, Exchange exhibition between India and Pakistan[38]
International Print Triennial, Cracow, Poland
3rd International Triennial of Graphic Art, Bitola, Macedonia
6th International Biennial of Miniature Art, Yugoslavia
1st Cheju International Prints Art Festival, Korea
5th Triennial Mondiale D'Estampes Petit Format, Chamalieres, France
4th Muestra Latino Americana International Miniprint, Argentina
1999
12th Norwegian International Print Triennial, Norway
Premio International Biella, Italy
10th International Exhibition for Small Graphics, Lodz, Poland
4th British International Miniature Print Exhibition, UK
1998
1st International Print Triennial, Kanagawa, Japan
7th International Triennial of Prints and Drawings, Vaasa, Finland
2nd International Triennial of Graphic Art, Labyrinth, Prague, Czech Republic

Education[edit]

1995 – Bachelor of Fine Arts, Government College of Arts, Madras, India 1998 – EPW (Printmaking) Edinburgh, UK 1999 – Universität fur Angewandte Kunste (Printmaking) Wien, Austria

Awards and grants[edit]

2008
Featured Speaker at TED Conference, Mysore, India
Guest Lecturer, Department of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2006
Sanskriti Award, India
2001
Kunstlerdorf's fellowship, Schoppingen, Germany
Fundacio pilar I Joan Miro's Award, Spain
1999
UNESCO – ASCHBERG Bursaries for Artists in Residency at Vienna, Austria
1998
Residency at the MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire, United States
Grapheion Review Award in International Print Biennial, Prague, Czech Republic
1997
The Charles Wallace India Trust Arts Fellowship Award, United Kingdom
Junior Fellowship from Government of India
Grand prize in 4th Bharat Bhavan International Print Biennial, Bhopal, India
The Charles Wallace India Trust Arts Fellowship Award, United Kingdom
1996
2nd Egyptian International Print Triennial Award, Giza, Egypt
1995
3rd Sapporo International Print Biennial Sponsor Award, Sapporo, Japan
Research Grant Award from Lalit Kala Academy, India

Publications available[edit]

2021 - Alwar Balasubramaniam, BALA, text by Vesela Sretenović, Alwar Balasubramaniam, and Deepak Talwar
2009 – Alwar Balasubramaniam, (In)between, text by Deepak Talwar, Talwar Gallery[39]
2007 – (In)visible. With an essay by Sharmini Pereira, 2007.
2005 – Transition and Transformation. University Gallery, Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts. With essays by Loretta Yarlow and Deepak Talwar, 2005.[40]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Edinburgh Printmakers". Edinburgh Printmakers. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Alwar Balasubramaniam – Exhibitions – Talwar Gallery". talwargallery. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. ^ "A. Balasubramaniam". phillipscollection. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum". Guggenheim. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  5. ^ "On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Body as Shell". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  7. ^ "ON LINE: DRAWING THROUGH THE TWENTIETH CENTURY". Talwar Gallery. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  8. ^ "INTERSECTIONS: A. BALASUBRAMANIAM". The Phillips Collection. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum". Guggenheim Museum. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  10. ^ "MORI ART MUSEUM [Chalo! India]". Mori Art Museum. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. ^ "narrating from the museum archives and collection: TEN YEARS OF KNMA". Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. ^ "CITY DWELLERS: CONTEMPORARY ART FROM INDIA". Seattle Art Museum. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Home". sammlung-essl. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Singapore Biennale (Singapore)". Biennial Foundation. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  15. ^ "École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts". beauxartsparis France. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Alwar Balasubramaniam: by Zehra Jumabhoy". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Biennale of Sydney". Biennale of Sydney. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  18. ^ "TED INDIA: Alwar Balasubramaniam: Art of Substance and Absence". Talwar Gallery. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  19. ^ Zehra Jumabhoy, "A. Balasubramaniam," Artforum, December 2009.
  20. ^ Brienne Walsh, "Alwar Balasubramaniam," Modern Painters, November 2012.
  21. ^ Ella Datta, "The Inner of the Outer," Art India, 2009.
  22. ^ "Alwar Balasubramaniam – Artists – Talwar Gallery". talwargallery. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Mirror on the ground, « TALWAR GALLERY".
  24. ^ Talwar Gallery, Becoming Nature, New York: 2019.
  25. ^ Talwar Gallery, Liquid Lake Mountain, New Delhi: 2018.
  26. ^ Talwar Gallery, Rain in the Midnight, New York: 2016.
  27. ^ Talwar Gallery, layers of wind, lines of time, New York: 2015.
  28. ^ Talwar Gallery, Nothing From My Hands, New Delhi: 2012.
  29. ^ The Phillips Collection, Sk(in), Washington D.C.: 2012/
  30. ^ "Fundació Miró Mallorca". miromallorca.com (in Catalan). Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  31. ^ "Pour, Tear, Carve, The Phillips Collection". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  32. ^ "From three, two,« TALWAR GALLERY".
  33. ^ "as the wind blows,« TALWAR GALLERY".
  34. ^ Arvind Indigo Museum, Alchemy: Explorations in Indigo, India: 2019.
  35. ^ "CCAD Presents WALL, Feb. 21–April 4, 2013". 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  36. ^ "Sydney's SEO Pages – Search Engine Optimization & Webdesign | bos18". Sydney's SEO Pages. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  37. ^ "Where in the World | Devi Art Foundation". deviartfoundation. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  38. ^ "Aar Paar – Public Art Exchange project between India and Pakistan". aarpaar2 tripod. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  39. ^ Archive, Asia Art. "A. Balasubramaniam: (In)Between". aaa Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  40. ^ "Transition and Transformation: A. Balasubramaniam and Ranjani Shettar". fac umass education. Retrieved 11 December 2019.

External links[edit]

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