Gallery Ark (Vadodara) opened Elements in Mythology , a group show exhibiting the works of Ira Chaudhuri, Jyotsana Bhatt, Madhvi Subrahmanian, Reyaz Badaruddin, Savia Mahajan, Vineet Kacker and Vinod Daroz. The exhibition was inaugurated by Geneva-based ceramic artist Jacques Kauffman, who will be working on a private commission in Vadodara. The preview was also attended by some of the leading artists in the city including Indrapramit Roy, Vasudevan Akkittam, Ghullam Mohammed, Nilima Sheikh and Rekha Rodwittiya. In the midst of the busy preview evening, Gallery Director Nupur Dalmia said - “We’re delighted to have such a strong curation of artists for this show. Each of them has a definitive practice and with this show, the endeavour is to highlight the diversity of practices around ceramics.”

Elements in Mythology is Gallery Ark’s eleventh show and is a part of the gallery’s broader vision to create a dynamic, state of the art space to promote contemporary Indian art in the heart of Vadodara. In keeping with the gallery’s fresh approach to curation, this exhibition has been conceptualised to bring together a varied range of artistic expressions, from the work of senior artists such as Jyotsna Bhatt and Ira Chaudhuri, who have been integral in spearheading the evolution of ceramics in the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University of Baroda, to the Mumbai-based Savia Mahajan, whose in-depth and experimental approach to ceramics has won her international acclaim.

Storytelling and myths form a vital part of the spirit of the exhibition with each artist presenting a new approach to the timeless human instinct of sharing narratives. Madhvi Subrahmanian, for example, has created personalised Mappa Mundi , referencing the ancient technique of mapping from medieval Europe to create her own “maps” that chart her travels between Mumbai and Singapore, the two cities that she calls home. Architect turned ceramic artist, Vineet Kacker (pictured left) presents a series that references spiritual thought, sampling and remixing old texts, icons and imagery into new visual works that are accessible without being populist, and symbolic without being derivative.