The darkness of

Human avarice, and the way nature responds to it: Mysore-based artist NS Harsha makes a bold statement at the Sydney Biennale

BY HAMIDA PARKAR

There is no escaping the dramatic impact of 900 teak elephants stamping through NS Harsha’s stunning wall-mounted installation, Reclaiming the inner space, 2018, on display at the Art Gallery of u s. According to Harsha, they are carrying the weight of today’s brutal times. It’s a continuation of sorts for them, having carried the human burden u s un n . decide to stampede all over it, “just like nature fixes human greed!”

Hand-carved in wasted wood by n s n s these elephants are straddled against acrylic mirror and a layer of unfolded cardboard packaging, sourced from family, friends and recycling facilities. The colours of toothpaste, soaps, prayer materials, tools, medicine, food, clothing, condoms, perfumes and alcohol wraps are fused in harmony, reflecting inwardly in the mirror. Harsha uses the unprinted side to splash streaks of black acrylic paint. “It is thrown in order to capture the essence of nature’s drama. Similar to the way cast nets are thrown into water to capture fish,” he says. The packaging also finds connect in cosmos and its aggregation of planets, stars, dust and gas. “I am deeply intrigued by the dark spaces supermarkets store under their bright lights. Racks and racks of darkness, n s ssum cosmos to be far away when it is just un us n n s s n s s. This thought led me to open cartons we use