Lubna Chowdhary: PLURIVERSE at Graves Gallery
Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
Graves Gallery welcomes Lubna Chowdhary and her striking, bold works in the new exhibition PLURIVERSE. The solo show includes the ceramic pieces the artist is best known for, as well as brand new drawings and sculptures.
Chowdhary is interested in the contrasting narratives of modernity and the world that surrounds us. Her geometric compositions often act as meeting points between differing visual languages, synthesised through the artist’s own vision and process. She works at the intersection of art, craft and design and successfully blurs any potential boundaries between them.
In PLURIVERSE Chowdhary’s own work is displayed in dialogue with select prints by Eduardo Palozzi and historic Indian miniature paintings. Many of her recent works originated during residencies in India and Italy this year and as a result the show centres on the titular concept of a pluriverse, coined by anthropologist Arturo Escobar. The idea relates to a ‘multiplicity of worlds’ where different ways of living and understanding are acknowledged and respected: Chowdhary explores the concept by merging visual traditions associated with the East and West.
PLURIVERSE features Pieces like Re-verse, 2024, a ceramic tile-work which uses geometric shapes and the tradition of calligraphy to create a new visual language, timeless yet modern. Certain Times LII, 2021, another ceramic piece featuring geometric forms and architectural elements has recently been acquired and is now part of Sheffield’s art collection. Visitors can also see Black Cube, 2024, and Sol Weave 1 and 2, made from woven thermal paper.
The artist herself says that “there is a central core of hybridity which continually shifts, settling at points on a scale between two poles of European and Asian ways of thinking and making.” Merging traditions with such extensive histories is no small feat yet despite encompassing so many varied references, Chowdhary’s visual language exudes calm and encountering her work makes for a satisfyingly grounding experience.
