Sheela Gowda is an acclaimed artist, based in Bangalore. She is known for transformative, large-scale installations that employ everyday, functional materials such as cow dung, metal barrels and, and found-wood. She began as a painter, then shifted to three-dimensional works in the 90s, driven by the rapid socio-economic changes in India at the time and a strong desire to address complex issues sans the application of overt statements. Her installations are steeped in local tradition and often explore themes like oppression and gender politics. In And Tell Him of My Pain (’98, ’01, ’07), she crafts a haunting web of red thread through needles and reflects on violence against women. In Darkroom (2006), a hut made of oil drums juxtaposes the domestic sphere with the endless night sky and prompts reflections on urban marginalisation. Gowda’s educational background comprises such reputed institutions as the Ken School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London. Gowda continues to unravel the layers that inform social and developmental politics and their interactions with the realms of spirituality.
