Manish Nai is a leading figure in Indian contemporary art. A fan of upcycling, he seizes upon used clothing, newspapers, and other everyday consumer goods in major Indian cities to shed light on their social, demographic, environmental, and economic narratives. Presented at the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago, these new works retain the artist’s personal take on minimalism and reflect his increasingly mature reflection on time and the changing nature of materials and objects. Compressed into a single block, the paper and books reused by the artist are like rocks with elusive content. Plenty here for rethinking our cities and architectural landscape through the prism of the objects we consume – then discard.

Manish Nai, A History Of Gestures Exhibition view @Kavi Gupta Gallery

From September 14 to December 14, 2019 at the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago

Find all the articles from Impact Art News n°11 — September 2019