Cabinet of Curiosities
Cabinet of Curiosities
10th August 2024 - 7th September 2024
Art Alive Gallery S-221, Panchsheel Park, New DelhiView WorksThere exists an inherent urge in humans to know, to experience, a curiosity that fuels the desire for knowledge and wisdom. During the Renaissance, Europeans satisfied this yearning through encyclopedic collections of objects, known as ‘cabinets of curiosities’. These vast collections often featured a wide variety of objects and artifacts, modelled as remnants of journeys capturing rare and eclectic experiences. Serving as precursors to modern museums and symbols of social status, the appeal of these collections eventually waned. But have they really passed onto oblivion? Or taken new shapes and forms? Vipul Rathod’s recent works addresses these questions as he examines and responds to the world around him giving rise to a microcosm of being through myriad lenses. Hailing from Baroda, Vipul Rathod is a contemporary artist whose practice views objects and forms as metaphors, transcending their pragmatic use. His visual language is formed by multifarious articles organized in grids, forming a structure that bears resemblance to a cabinet encasing miniaturized papier-mâché objects. These artifacts that are miniscule in proportion are not mere literal representations of everyday objects but are metaphorical representations of the artist’s thoughts and responses to his surroundings.
