“Necessity is the mother of futile dodges. The basis of invention is science, and science is almost wholly the outgrowth of pleasurable intellectual curiosity.” -Alfred North Whitehead
Born of pandemic challenges and creative necessity, Avantika Bawa and AGENDA have collaborated to enable this monumental artist to continue working in an imaginative and completely unprecedented way. Bawa and curator Jamie Wilson met at AGENDA’s inaugural opening in October of 2020. AGENDA’s space is small and lends itself to installation, but would it be possible to exhibit the work of Avantika Bawa in a meaningful way? Bawa asked “What if we painted the whole gallery black?” and the brainstorming began. What resulted is this exploration and response to the quiet and intimate architecture of AGENDA.
Constructing Darkness is the fifth of the ‘Scaffold Series’ by Avantika Bawa. In this site-specific installation, utilitarian structures are transformed into objects of beauty by altering color and formation in response to the site. By so doing they cease to be objects of function and become instead visual representations of planning and possibility represented in small-scale sculpture.
Earlier iterations of this series were exhibited in Mumbai, India (Another Documentation, 2012), Astoria, OR (Mineral Spirits, 2016), Gujarat, India (A Pink Scaffold in the Rann, 2019-20) and most recently in Eugene, OR (#FFFFFF, 2020).
Collectively, the ‘Scaffold Series’ has enabled Bawa to explore the endless possibilities of a single structure by pushing permutations and combinations of color, form and scale in relation to location. While responding to the topography and geography of each site as well as limitations posed by the pandemic, a new iteration of the series is manifested. Bawa intends to expand upon this small-scale series by exploring new terrain and different ways of configuring these installations. Bawa wishes to acknowledge Noah Mattuecci, who inspired and managed the printing and production of the miniature scaffolds, without whom the miniature series would not exist.
Read more about the artists here http://avantikabawa.net/about.html
Read more about AGENDA here https://agenda-pdx.com/about/
Artist Reception 3-6PM, Saturday 2/27/21 BY APPOINTMENT at https://calendly.com/agenda-pdx/avantika-bawa-constructing-darkness
Cost: Free. Beverages with straws provided, masks required.
Silver construct in a jet-black space gives the visitor the sense they are viewing in black and white, transporting the viewer into a surreal tiny universe.