While it’s certainly the norm for world leaders to call attention to dire environmental issues, New Delhi-based artist Vibha Galhotra addresses similar concerns in her compelling oeuvre, which is currently on view at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City. Titled ‘Vibha Galhotra: Absur-City-Pity-Dity’, the exhibition focuses on the heavily polluted Yamuna River, considered one of the world’s most contaminated rivers as well as on severe urban sprawl through video, sculpture, tapestry, photography and installation art.
‘Vibha’s work is haunting as she reveals in a very real way the erosion related to that river as well as the extreme overcrowding in so many of India’s cities, yet at same time marked by sheer beauty,’ says Shainman. ‘Her work is a kind of visual reportage and document along with a meditative statement all at once.’
Even the materials Galhotra uses directly reference the river. For her 2015 installation project 365 days, she collected river sediment in approximately three hundred and sixty five small glass vials accompanied by both photographs and message related to the river. Elsewhere are swathes of white cotton which when drenched in the river have turned to a morbid black, which she then encases in resin.
Then Galhotra’s complex tapestry Majanu ka tilla, is composed of ghungroos, small metal bells worn by women in traditional Indian dance. Arranged in an amorphous shape, the composition is crowded, almost claustrophobic speaking of the increasing density of cities.
‘I know of no other artist who conveys such a powerful message’ says Shainman.
The exhibition also expresses New Delhi's severe urban sprawl through video, sculpture, tapestry, photography and installation art
A closer look at '365 days', in which the artist collected river sediment in approximately three hundred and sixty five small glass vials and installed them with both photographs and message related to the river
Galhotra uses materials that directly references the river, such as vials of river sediment or white cotton soaked in its muddy waters
Galhotra’s complex tapestry Majanu ka tilla, is composed of ghungroos, small metal bells worn by women in traditional Indian dance
Arranged in an amorphous shape, the composition is crowded, almost claustrophobic speaking of the increasing density of cities
‘Vibna’s work is haunting as she reveals in a very real way the erosion related to that river as well as the extreme overcrowding in so many of India’s cities, yet at same time marked by sheer beauty,’ says Shainman
A more detailed view of 'Majnu Ka Tila' (2015) - a piece made from nickel coated ghungroos, fabric, wood and polyurethane
INFORMATION
‘Vibha Galtrova: Abur-City-Pity-Dity’ iruns until 5 December
Photography courtesy of the artist and Jack Shaiman Gallery
ADDRESS
Jack Shainman Gallery
513 West 20th Street
New York
-
Best of Design Miami Paris 2025: animal sculptures and musical ping-pong tablesDesign Miami Paris returns to the Hôtel de Maisons (until 26 October 2025): here are the Wallpaper* highlights
-
Sam Falls is inspired by nature’s unpredictability in living works for RuinartThe artist creates works that are in-between photography and painting as part of Ruinart's Conversations with Nature series
-
Michael Graves’ house in Princeton is the postmodernist gem you didn’t know you could visitThe Michael Graves house – the American postmodernist architect’s own New Jersey home – is possible to visit, but little known; we take a tour and explore its legacy
-
María Berrío creates fantastical worlds from Japanese-paper collages in New YorkNew York-based Colombian artist María Berrío explores a love of folklore and myth in delicate and colourful works on paper
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
June Leaf’s New York survey captures a life in motionJune Leaf made art in many forms for over seven decades, with an unstoppable energy and fierce appetite leading her to rationalise life in her own terms.
-
Jamel Shabazz’s photographs are a love letter to Prospect ParkIn a new book, ‘Prospect Park: Photographs of a Brooklyn Oasis, 1980 to 2025’, Jamel Shabazz discovers a warmer side of human nature
-
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles launches the seventh iteration of its highly anticipated artist biennialOne of the gallery's flagship exhibitions, Made in LA showcases the breadth and depth of the city's contemporary art scene
-
Inside a Courtney Love-inspired art exhibition in New YorkLiza Jo Eilers looks to the glory days of Hole at an exhibition at Grimm New York
-
Thomas Prior’s photography captures the uncanny fragility of American lifeA new book unites two decades of the photographer’s piercing, uneasy work
-
Apple unveils its next-gen camera in a powerful new photography exhibitionThe new iPhone 17 Pro Max takes centre stage in a New York exhibition where artists Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu explore the theme of joy
