NS Harsha : Upward Movement at Victoria Miro Mayfair

Situated in the Victoria Miro gallery in Mayfair, NS Harsha reveals his Upward Movement collection. Through his artistic techniques, spectators are enlightened about Indian social traditions, spiritual beliefs, and Harsha’s personal perspective and understanding of life. The artist takes the viewer on a narrative journey with his work, which proves to be instructive, providing food for thought.

In the first room of the gallery, six canvases are mounted, large and equal in size and shape. Whilst displaying individual colour palettes, each canvas has a repetitive grid-like structure to it. From a distance, the compositions appear to be lacking in depth, however on closer inspection, the solid background of subdued colour does not detract from the intricate painted detail of the recurring images, which are distributed evenly across it. The artist has chosen this orderly composition specifically to give the impression of musical staves, with the rhythmic pattern of the figures echoing and illustrating the monotony of religious chants. An indication towards the habitual nature of consciousness and existence is also implied here, emphasised by everyday scenes, such as the milking of cows.

As well as the imagery, the title of the collection Upward Movement is suggestive of reaching out beyond what is known, perhaps for a higher power. This gesture is reflected in a couple of the pieces of work such as Time and Again Upward Movement Beautiful, Beautiful and Raha Dikhanaywalay Thay Hai Rahengay (Path Showers Were/Are/Will Be There), where human figures and animals are painted in poses of upward reaches. All of the compositions have a focus on natural subjects of either the human or animal form, depicting different characters either striking the same pose or carrying out the same practice.

The subsequent rooms of the gallery feature smaller sketches of Harsha’s, as well as a few other paintings, and an unusual sculpture featuring a bridge of heads. While the artist’s technical and anatomical perfection are marvelled at, the collection as a whole encourages the viewer to think further about life in relation to the world and beyond. 

Emily D’Silva

NS Harsha: Upward Movement is at Victoria Miro Mayfair from 26^th March until 25^th April 2015, for further information visit here.

For further information about NS Harsha visit here.