The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn
Nandita Mukand, Singapore-India
Nandita Mukand’s practice is concerned with how urbanization with its attendant lifestyle choices continuously change us as individuals, and by extension, transforms the collective psyche of our world. Drawing upon her interest in ontology, neuroplasticity, quantum physics and Buddhist texts, her work often explores observations of growth and decay in the wilderness in conjunction with the workings of the urban mind. She fashions urban materials into organic forms reminiscent of natural growth and decay. In other installations, she works with natural materials like dead plants, dried flowers and seeds. Whether synthetic or organic, building up the sculptures and installations often involves repetitive processes that are meditative. Ideas of growth and decay, layers of accretion and erosion as markers of time, resilience in the face of adversity, the grace imbibed in adapting organically to circumstances, and the beauty of chaos─these are some of the themes that form the backdrop of her artistic practice.
In The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn, old trees exist longer than the passing of generations. It feels as though they have eavesdropped on the dreams and aspirations of those who lived in another age, just as they listen to the chatter of those who wander below their branches today. In the midst of massive change in our environment and ways of life, what really changes for us? The pace of change in today’s world is rapid, yet it is perhaps these ancient trees which hold answers to eternal questions.
Newspapers with their myriad urban stories are dissolved into the work, reflecting upon the fact that our elaborate urban lives and stories will ultimately be subsumed into the natural order. Newspapers represent ideas of the everyday and the political, as well as the ephemeral. Organic materials (henna, turmeric, coffee, sand, grass, seeds, vegetable matter, beeswax) too find their way into the work, embodying ideas of instability and transformation.
Twenty five thousand seeds and pods from the forests of Spain line the walls, encapsulating pure potentiality. The potential for growth may remain dormant, yet is far more than what is visible to the human eye.
To find out more about the artist, visit www.nanditamukand.com.
The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn (2017)
Pulped newspaper, vegetable and plant material, henna, coffee, turmeric, pine cones, cypress seeds, assorted seeds and pods
Dimensions variable
The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn
© Nandita Mukand
The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn
© Nandita Mukand
The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn
© Nandita Mukand
The Origin: The Tree & Me & The Unborn
© Nandita Mukand
Nandita Mukand is a Singapore-based artist whose practice encompasses sculpture, installation and painting, and whose work has been exhibited and collected in Singapore and internationally. Her work was included in the OpenART Biennale 2017, Sweden and Imaginarium: To the Ends of the Earth, Singapore Art Museum. Other notable exhibitions include solo shows: Mind(less) Wilderness(2019), Forest Weft, City Warp (2017-2018), The Materiality of Time (2015) and group shows: From Lost Roots to Urban Meadows, The Private Museum, Singapore (2019), Exploring BigCI, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Australia (2015), Untapped, Chan Hampe Gallery, Singapore (2016), Fundacio L'Olivar Summer Exhibition, Spain (2016). She has been awarded artist residencies by the Fundacio L’Olivar in Spain, the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Australia and the Bilpin International Ground for Creative Initiatives, Australia, all of which have enabled her to deepen her research into the natural world.
