SOHAN QADRI & NEHA VEDPATHAK
SURFACE RHYTHM
SOHAN QADRI & NEHA VEDPATHAK
SURFACE RHYTHM SUNDARAM TAGORE CHELSEA FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 28, 2020
GALLERY MISSION Sundaram Tagore Gallery is devoted to examining the exchange of ideas between Western and non-Western cultures. With spaces in Hong Kong, Singapore and New York City (in Chelsea and on Madison Avenue), the gallery was the first to focus exclusively on the rise of globalization in contemporary art. The gallery represents painters, sculptors and photographers from around the world. They each work in different mediums and use diverse techniques, but share a passion for cross-cultural dialogue. The gallery is renowned for its support of cultural activities—including poetry readings, book launches, music performances and film screenings—that further its mission of East-West exchange.
SURFACE RHYTHM Sundaram Tagore is pleased to present an exhibition that brings together work by the late poet, painter and Tantric yogi Sohan Qadri (1931 – 2011) and Neha Vedpathak (b. 1982), two Indian-born artists who push the boundaries of traditional media, transforming sheets of paper into richly colorful three-dimensional mediums. The work in this exhibition highlights the intention behind Qadri and Vedpathak’s unique choice of material and their process-driven approaches. Both artists spent the early years of their careers experimenting with different media before turning to paper, which, while agile and responsive, can also be unforgiving and requires intense focus and skilled hands. Qadri has been represented by the gallery since its inception in 2000. At the time, he was part of a select group of master artists who were outside the accepted Western cannon but were so obviously groundbreaking and working with a universal language, that it was critical to share with a wider audience. Since then, Qadri’s work has been acquired by museums and private collectors across the globe and in 2011, he was the subject of the monograph Sohan Qadri: The Seer, published by Skira Editore. Though he spent much of his working life in Copenhagen, Denmark, Qadri grew up in northern India, where he was exposed to Sufism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. He was particularly inspired by Vajryana or Tantric Buddhism, which emphasizes the notion of sunyata or emptiness. In search of a process that would enable art making while in a meditative state, Qadri found his spiritual medium in inks and dyes on paper, employing a distinctive technique of painting and carving that he would use for the rest of his life. To begin his process, Qadri would bathe thick intaglio paper in acid-free water. Once it was swollen with liquid, he would score the surface with various gouging and cutting tools, carving in stages while applying inks and dyes. The serrated surfaces convey a sense of energy and rhythm. In the artist’s hands, the very nature of paper was transformed from a flat, two-dimensional surface into a vibrantly hued textile-like medium. Left: Neha Vedpathak, Sidelot (detail), 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 23 x 19 inches/58.4 x 48.3 cm 7
Neha Vedpathak (b. 1982) is a Detroit-based artist who creates sculptural installations and wall reliefs made from paper. She was introduced to the Chelsea gallery in 2019, when she was selected by curator Betty Seid for the exhibition Alterations Activation Abstraction. Although she has only been exhibiting since 2006, Vedpathak has already received critical recognition from institutions such as the Detroit Institute of Arts, which acquired and exhibits her work across from celebrated artist Anish Kapoor. Vedpathak began her career as a painter, creating minimalist abstract works on canvas, but like Qadri, she became restless and sought to move beyond the two-dimensional plane. After experimenting with different materials for a period of time, in 2009, she came across handmade Japanese paper, which eventually became the focus of her artistic investigations. Using a rigorous self-developed technique, which she refers to as “plucking,” Vedpathak spends hours separating the paper’s fibers with a tiny pushpin. Similar to Qadri’s meditative state, there is a spiritual aspect to her slow and disciplined process, which she likens to meditative chanting tuned to a slower pace. The resulting works resemble swaths of lace fabric, which she paints and sews into striking abstract compositions. Part painting, part collage, Vedpathak’s sensuous, tactile constructions seemingly float while casting intricate shadows on the wall. She creates depth with nuanced shifts of color and by leaving small areas of the composition unplucked, which plays off the subtle transparency of the lace-effect. Having lived in multiple locations, including Pune, India, where she was born, Chicago, Phoenix, and now Detroit, Vedpathak’s practice is deeply inspired by her physical environment and she often draws from the natural world. Recently, however, she has started to incorporate architectural elements of the cityscape that surrounds her, referencing the abandoned structures and peeling paint of a city in constant flux, where widespread urban decay is undergoing a slow renewal. Through her work, Vedpathak addresses contemporary social themes, including politics, cultural identity and economic disparity, yet, like Sohan Qadri, she also considers larger spiritual themes, exploring ideas of transformation and the cyclical nature of life.
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Sohan Qadri was born in Chachoki, Punjab, India. In 1965, he left India and began a series of travels that took him to East Africa, North America and Europe. After settling in Copenhagen in the 1970s, Qadri participated in more than forty solo shows, in Mumbai, Vienna, Brussels, London, Oslo, Stockholm, Montreal, Toronto, Los Angeles and New York. Qadri’s works are included in the British Museum, London; the Peabody Essex Museum, Massachusetts; the Rubin Museum of Art, New York; the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; as well as the private collections of Cirque du Soleil, Heinrich Böll and Dr. Robert Thurman. In 2011, Skira Editore published the monograph Sohan Qadri: The Seer. Neha Vedpathak was born in Pune, India, 1982. Her works have been shown at Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe; Weatherspoon Museum, Greensboro North Carolina; Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan; and Centre d’Art Marnay Art Centre, France.
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SOHAN QADRI
Amisha III, 2007 ink and dye on paper, 39 x 27 inches/99.1 x 68.6 cm 12
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Agamas III, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 14
Uma III, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 15
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Balini III, 2010 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 17
Samsara IV, 2003 ink and dye on paper, 39 x 25.5 inches/99.1 x 64.8 cm 18
Samadhi VII, 2004 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 19
Agni VI, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 20
Aguna II, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 21
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Chinmaya I, 2007 ink and dye on paper, 27 x 39 inches/68.6 x 99.1 cm 23
Ananda XI, 2007 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 24
Amrita IV, 2007 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 25
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Ananda XIII, 2009 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 27
Pranaya II, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 27 x 39 inches/68.6 x 99.1 cm 28
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Uma IV, 2010 ink and dye on paper, 39 x 27.5 inches/99.1 x 69.9 cm 30
Abhasa I, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 31
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Agamas, 2008 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm 33
Prana, 2004 ink and dye on paper, 39 x 55 inches/99.1 x 139.7 cm 34
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Untitled, 1988 ink and dye on paper, 13.5 x 11 inches/34.3 x 27.9 cm 36
Para I, 2004 ink and dye on paper, 55 x 20 inches/140 x 50.8 cm 37
Manu II, 2007 ink and dye on paper, 39 x 27 inches/99.1 x 68.6 cm, sold 38
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NEHA VEDPATHAK
You don’t want to know, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 56 x 34 inches/142.2 x 86.4 cm 42
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Untitled (among other things), 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 26 x 21 inches/66 x 53.3 cm 44
Sky 1, 2018 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 24 x 33 inches/61 x 83.8 cm 45
Untitled (unfinished), 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 58 x 52 inches/147.3 x 132.1 cm 46
Blue Collar, 2018 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 16 x 28 inches/40.6 x 71.1 cm 47
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I can see through this, 2018 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 52 x 74.5 inches/132.1 x 189.2 cm 49
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A Point, 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 16 x 15 inches/40.6 x 38.1 cm 51
Charlevoix 2, 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 21 x 18 inches/53.3 x 45.7 cm 52
Seam of Hope, 2019-2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 28.5 x 40 inches/72.4 x 101.6 cm 53
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So many stars in the sky, some of them and some of me, 2018 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 80 x 80 inches/203.2 x 203.2 cm 55
Waiting, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 30 x 27 inches/76.2 x 68.6 cm 56
Human Needs, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 30 x 33 inches/76.2 x 83.8 cm 57
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Making Home (native, alien), 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 34 x 31 inches/86.4 x 78.7 cm 59
Portrait of a Studio 1, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 50.5 x 33 inches/128.3 x 83.8 cm 60
Portrait of a Studio 2, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 59 x 35 inches/149.9 x 88.9 cm 61
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Dawn, Yet Again, 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 17 x 13 inches/43.2 x 33 cm 63
Sidelot, 2019 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 23 x 19 inches/58.4 x 48.3 cm 64
It Matters, 2020 plucked Japanese handmade paper, acrylic paint, thread, 23 x 26 inches/58.4 x 66 cm 65
SUNDARAM TAGORE GALLERIES NEW YORK
Chelsea: 547 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 • tel 212 677 4520 Madison Avenue: 1100 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10028 • tel 212 288 2889 gallery@sundaramtagore.com
SINGAPORE
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HONG KONG
4/F, 57-59 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong • tel 852 2581 9678 hongkong@sundaramtagore.com President and curator: Sundaram Tagore Senior Director, New York: Susan McCaffrey Director, Singapore: Melanie Taylor Registrar: Julia Occhiogrosso Designer: Russell Whitehead
WWW.SUNDARAMTAGORE.COM Text © 2020 Sundaram Tagore Gallery Photographs © 2020 Sundaram Tagore Gallery All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Cover: Sohan Qadri, Samadhi VII (detail), 2004, ink and dye on paper, 55 x 39 inches/139.7 x 99.1 cm