Bharti Kher

A Wonderful Anarchy

September 28 - January 5, 2020

Somerset

Hauser & Wirth Somerset is proud to present ‘A Wonderful Anarchy,’ an exhibition of new work by Bharti Kher, following her three-month residency with the gallery in 2017. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and marks a return to the most elemental themes within her practice. Kher, who works across a multitude of forms, will present a body of sculpture, installation, and paintings. In the process of transforming found objects, and continually experimenting with materials, she layers references: to the mythological and scientific, secular and ritualistic, physical and psychological. At the center of all works is the abstraction of shape and confluence of time in a provocative meeting of materials. This act of making and creating sculpture is borne through the act of drawing. Kher will be the first artist to continue a residency in conjunction with their exhibition and will remain in Somerset until December. As visitors arrive at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, they will encounter the exhibition’s largest sculpture, ‘The fallow’ (2019), a monumental 3.5 metre cast bronze figure which was conceived from the artist’s series of smaller sculptures, ‘The intermediaries’ (2019). Like ‘The Intermediary Family’ (2018) that came before it and featured in Frieze Sculpture Park 2018, ‘The fallow’ (2019) invokes themes of female multiplicity. This time however, Kher presents the potency of her goddess through negative space. She is hollowed-out, becoming a product of excavation, with an ornate half-circle exploding from her depths – a formalistic intervention of shapes that visitors will see recurring throughout the show. The sculpture was produced locally at the Morris Singer Foundry in Hampshire and developed during Kher’s first residency period in Somerset.The exhibition continues into the Threshing Barn, where visitors see Kher exploring the notion of accretion in a style that goes beyond the idiosyncratic tendencies of a hobbyist collector, and into the intention of artmaking with the exhibition namesake – ‘A wonderful anarchy’ (2018). Acting as a dynamic counterpoint to the outdoor bronze, this new balance work brings together her vast curation of personal belongings, heirlooms, and found or collected pedestrian objects. Kher weaves this detritus of the studio in a manner so rapidly that she says the moment of making was ‘of synchronicity and rhyme.’ Dysfunctional staircases, yarns of wool, rusted urns, and the remnants of ominous black lace are pushed up against chains, scales, horns and hooks, even the most pristine of miniature figurines – suspending the domestic and the captive, in perfect stillness. The anchor of this supposed serenity is not just the ropes and pulleys, but also the pillar that stands at a distance from the entropy it holds together, representing a state of resilience and counterbalance in a world constantly in flux.

Installation views

Events

Opening reception: ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’

Please join us for the opening reception of ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’. The exhibition presents new work by Bharti Kher, following her three-month residency with the gallery in 2017. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and marks a return to the most elemental themes within her practice. Kher, who works across a multitude of forms, will present a body of sculpture, installation, and paintings. In the process of transforming found objects, and continually experimenting with materials, she layers references: to the mythological and scientific, secular and ritualistic, physical and psychological. At the center of all works is the abstraction of shape and confluence of time in a provocative meeting of materials. This is a free event, no booking necessary.

Meet the Artist: Bharti Kher

On the first public open day of the exhibition, ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’, join the artist Bharti Kher for a unique tour and introduction to the exhibition, where she will share key themes and ideas. The tour will be followed by a Q&A session. The exhibition presents new work by Bharti Kher, following her three month residency with the gallery in 2017. This is the artist's first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and marks a return to the most elemental themes within her practice. Kher, who works across a multitude of forms, will present a body of sculpture, installation and paintings. In the process of transforming found objects, and continually experimenting with materials, she layers references: to the mythological and scientific, secular and ritualistic, physical and psychological. At the center of all works is the abstraction of shape and confluence of time in a provocative meeting of materials. This is a free event, but must be booked in advance.

Schools Workshop: Sculpture

These workshops are developed specifically for key stage 1, 2, 3 or 4 pupils. Taking inspiration from the exhibitions ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’ and ‘David Smith. Field Work’ the workshop encourages children to look at ways of responding to art through observation, discussion and making. The session will involve an interactive gallery tour that focuses on exploring sculptural concepts. After the tour pupils will have the opportunity to experiment in small groups, creating their own large-scale constructions.  The workshop aims to broaden students’ sculptural vocabulary and to develop imaginative thinking, construction and design skills, problem-solving and team-work. Students should bring a sketchbook, pencil and a collection of materials that they have gathered to use for their challenge (for example, man-made forms such as boxes, packaging, fabric and natural forms such as wood, leaves, sand etc). They are also required to bring a packed lunch and suitable clothing for creative work. The sessions are available on Tuesday – Friday from October – December 2019, 10 am – 2 pm, subject to availability. There is a maximum of 30 places available per workshop, and the cost is £6 per child. All children should be accompanied by teaching staff. To make a booking please contact the education team on 01749 814 060 or education@hauserwirth.com.

Autumn Workshop: Bronze Casting Masterclass

Join us for a two-day workshop and learn how to make your own bronze cast.  To coincide with the exhibitions, ‘David Smith. Field Work’ and ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’ founder and sculptor Stephen Coles will bring along his mobile foundry enabling participants to gain a unique first-hand experience of this age-old craft. The first day will be spent making a traditional sand mould which will then be cast on the second day, and finished off using different techniques. This workshop provides an overview of the casting process from start to finish, highlighting some of the necessary skills used within a fine art foundry. This class is suitable for adults with little or no previous experience. All materials will be provided. The workshop will take place at Hauser & Wirth Somerset on Friday 15 November, 10 am – 4 pm, and Saturday 16 November, 10 am – 4 pm. Tickets are £200 for the two-day workshop and include lunch at Roth Bar & Grill.Stephen Coles runs Coles Castings in Shaftesbury, North Dorset. Established in 2012, the fine art foundry predominantly specialises in the production of cast iron and cast bronze sculpture. The foundry offers a wide range of services including waxwork, mould making, sand moulding, bronze and iron casting, metal finishing and patination. Please note that if the weather is wet, we may not be able to fire up the furnace. If this leads to postponing the workshop, an alternative opportunity will be organised.

Exhibition Tour

Join us for a tour of the exhibitions ‘David Smith. Field Work’ and ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’ with Hauser & Wirth Somerset’s Director of Education, Debbie Hillyerd. The walking tour will lead guests through the galleries whilst discussing significant works and themes in the exhibitions. ‘David Smith. Field Work’ is the debut solo exhibition by the eminent American artist at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, curated by the artist’s daughters Rebecca and Candida Smith. The exhibition has been conceived as four chapters of work spanning over three decades (from 1933 to 1964) to demonstrate Smith’s diverse visual language and multifaceted creative process. ‘Bharti Kher. A Wonderful Anarchy’ is an exhibition of new work by Bharti Kher, following her three-month residency with the gallery in 2017. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset and marks a return to the most elemental themes within her practice. The tour runs from 5 – 6 pm at Hauser & Wirth Somerset. This is a free event, but must be booked in advance.

About the Artist

Born in London in 1969, Bharti Kher’s art gives form to quotidian life and its daily rituals in a way that reassesses and transforms their meaning to yield an air of magical realism. Now living in New Delhi, India, her use of found objects is informed by her own position as an artist located between geographic and social milieus. Her way of working is exploratory: surveying, looking, collecting, and transforming, as she repositions the viewer’s relationship with the object and initiates a dialogue between metaphysical and material pursuits.

Current Exhibitions