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Clay and creativity

Of ceramics by Supriya Meneghetti at the Alliance Francaise gallery

INNOVATIVE TOUCHES A ceramic work by Supriya Meneghetti

"Some people think that clay pots and vessels are purely functional. They think that pottery cannot be art. But clay is one of the artist's original mediums and oldest materials." Supriya Meneghetti thus explained her fascination with clay, as she unveiled `Something New', her latest exhibition of ceramics at the Alliance Francaise Gallery.

Meneghetti has been exhibiting more conventional and `functional' pottery across India and the U.K. since 1998. But `Something New' marks her foray into more conceptual work.

The exhibition draws largely on ideas of Mother Earth, of both natural and maternal forms. Many of Meneghetti's curious sculptures are experiments with plant shapes. The artist presents her interpretations of these basic forms in her `Seed Pods' and `Stem Pods'. These pieces are pleasing, but they are not highly unusual or especially abstract. One would perhaps consign such items to a fashionable coffee table rather than to a gallery plinth.

Fortunately, the collection also contains a more interesting and innovative work entitled `Womb'. For these pieces, the artist took three casts of her stomach, while she was expecting her second child. The resulting triad of bowl-shaped works is most striking.

Meneghetti's working life began quite differently. She initially studied Commerce at the Bangalore University, simply because "my mother wanted me to work in a bank." However, she left the world of commerce to study pottery in Pondicherry, and subsequently moved to Auroville, where she has been based for 10 years. "Auroville is an important part of my work. It gives me the freedom to explore my art." Supriya Meneghetti's exhibition titled `Something New' is on at Alliance Francaise Gallery, No. 24 College Road, till April 1.

SHYAMANTHA ASOKAN

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