At the recently concluded Bikaner House exhibition, Meraki—a Greek word that means to put something of yourself in your work—artist Niyamat Mehta gives shape to all that shaped her. Seeking constant inspiration from Salvador Dalí, some of the ‘portraits’ in the Delhi-based artist’s first solo— comprising 27 bronze and hydro resin sculptures—resemble the Spanish artist with his trademark moustache.
“While in London, I wrote a paper on Dalí. I was enamoured by his lifestyle and personality, and wanted to incorporate that in my works,” says the 23-year-old, who studied figurative sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art, before returning to Delhi earlier this year to set up her own studio, Atelier Della Firenze. Another striking work is the bronze bust of a ballerina—Nicole—who Mehta met in Florence. The curly hair lends a Medusa-like look to the sculpture created in the style of French sculptor Auguste Rodin, who is another big influence on Mehta’s works.
“The show was almost three years in the making. I am not someone who is confined to one particular style. There is a bit of everything in my works—pop, surrealism and classicism. It’s all an ode to the places I have visited and lived in over the years—London, Florence and Rome.
For me, classicism is the language, the basic technique that allows me to play with or incorporate other styles,” says Mehta, who was the youngest artist on display at the Pallazo Albrizzi in the 2022 Venice Biennale. She works in two mediums—sculpting in clay and then casting her works in bronze and resin—and often listens to classical music—mostly Beethoven—while working.
The works in the exhibition are a burst of vibrant colours like reds, blues and yellows. Two figures in resin stand by the door. About three feet in height, one is clad in a red jacket, while the other is in a yellow kurta. They are Mr Sinatra and Mr Kishore Kumar—two embodiments of entertainment—doing what they do best: charming the audience.
Talking about her fascination for such shades, the artist says, “Throughout the long sculpting process, brownish-grey is the predominant colour as I initially work with clay. What you see is largely in black and white with the light hitting the unfinished work. The moment you add colour to it, all the edges playing with light and shadow are enhanced. The greenish-blue shade or turquoise—known in Italian as terre verde—is a shade I am partial to as I was exposed to it while visiting museums in Europe where it can be seen on many sculptures.”
Mehta, who was selected as a protégé to sculptor Jason Arkles in Florence, has impressed many in the genre with her talent. Among them, the late British sculptor Greenville Davey called her a ‘potential artistic power’. That perhaps indicates the shape of things to come.