Secretariat I, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat II, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat III, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat IV, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat V, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat VI, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat Ramp I, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat Ramp II, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Secretariat Ramp III, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Palace of Assembly I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Gandhi bhawan I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Corbusier Fixtures I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Grey on Grey II, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Grey on Grey III, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Grey on Grey V, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Grey on Grey VII, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Grey on Grey VIII, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Tower of Shadows, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 132 x 254 cm, 2024
, 11.25”x15”, 2021.jpg)
Black on Black V, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
, 11.25”x15”, 2021.jpg)
Black on Black VI, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
, 11.25”x15”, 2021.jpg)
Black on Black XIV, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
Template Variables III, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
Template Variables IV, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
Template Variables VI, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) I, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) III, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
GB01 Mass, Three-color lithograph on paper, Printed in collaboration with Normal Editions Press, IL, Edition of 20, 38.1 x 53.3 cm, 2023
GB01 Line, Three-color lithograph on paper, Printed in collaboration with Normal Editions Press, IL, Edition of 20, 38.1 x 53.3 cm, 2023
Modular Waltz
To experience Avantika Bawa’s art is to feel palpably her love of architecture: a contagious curiosity. In “Modular Waltz,” the artist explores the sculptural beauty of buildings as well as their skeletal frameworks —architecture inside and out — through an ongoing series of drawings and scaffold constructions.
Bawa’s drawings apply localized scrutiny to great Modernist buildings. After many years of portraying glass-ensconced works by renowned architecture firms like America’s Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, in “Modular Waltz” Bawa turns to Brutalist architecture and the work of legendary Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who saw many landmark buildings completed in India and South Asia. “Architecture goes beyond utilitarian needs,” the architect wrote in 1920’s Towards a New Architecture. “Passion can create drama out of inert stone.” Bawa’s new series of drawings allows us to see these buildings with new eyes.
By isolating architecture from any geographical or urban context, Bawa celebrates Modernism’s elegantly simple geometry. Yet what resonates most powerfully is her drawings’ subtle yet inherent imperfection. While Modern architecture is defined by its machined precision, and Bawa renders admirably straight lines, the slight imperfection paradoxically adds beauty.
Bawa’s scaffolding installations, a continuing exploration of recent years, transform this most utilitarian of temporary structures into an exploration. Going in “Modular Walz” from drawing to sculpture and from portraying exterior forms to recreating skeletal frameworks, the artist is able to not just see architecture but consider how its forms interact with and (to borrow from Le Corbusier’s most famous dictum) are revealed in light. Bawa’s scaffolds, rendered both in sculpture and in accompanying drawings, reduce architecture to its barest essence.
“Modular Waltz” is a compelling human story, in which the artist passes on to us her fascination. The exhibit is also a kind of lesson in how to perceive the geometry of buildings in a way that transcends the architecture itself.
Brian Libby
- 1st February – 7th MArch 2025
Secretariat I, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat II, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat III, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat IV, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat V, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat VI, Graphite and acrylic on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat Ramp I, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat Ramp II, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Secretariat Ramp III, Graphite and oil stick on board, 55.9 x 76.2 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Palace of Assembly I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Gandhi bhawan I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Corbusier Fixtures I & II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 22.9 x 30.5 cm each, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Grey on Grey II, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Modular Waltz
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Grey on Grey III, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Modular Waltz
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Grey on Grey V, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Modular Waltz
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Grey on Grey VII, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Modular Waltz
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Grey on Grey VIII, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 121.9 x 134.6 cm, 2022
Modular Waltz
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Tower of Shadows, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 132 x 254 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Black on Black V, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
Modular Waltz
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Black on Black VI, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
Modular Waltz
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Black on Black XIV, Embossing on paper, unique prints (edition of 1), 28.6 x 38 cm
Modular Waltz
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Template Variables III, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
Modular Waltz
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Template Variables IV, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
Modular Waltz
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Template Variables VI, Embossing on paper, unique print (edition of 1), 76.2 x 50.8 cm, 2021
Modular Waltz
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) I, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) II, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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Tower of Shadows (Abstraction) III, Graphite and oil stick on paper, 208.3 x 132.1 cm, 2024
Modular Waltz
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GB01 Mass, Three-color lithograph on paper, Printed in collaboration with Normal Editions Press, IL, Edition of 20, 38.1 x 53.3 cm, 2023
Modular Waltz
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GB01 Line, Three-color lithograph on paper, Printed in collaboration with Normal Editions Press, IL, Edition of 20, 38.1 x 53.3 cm, 2023
Modular Waltz
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