Shampa Shah

BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

With this Corona pandemic we are experiencing something very unique—although, as my studio is inside my home, my daily routine has not undergone a major change. I have all the required materials needed for carrying on my ceramics practice. Initially I was full of energy and worked on a wall mural and some painted platters. Flora and fauna central to the mural and the platters, in a way reflect their centrality on this planet, an echo of which can be heard from different parts of the world right now as birds and animals are reclaiming their space! However, these works are more or less a continuation of my previous works and probably do not register the times we are going through.

Uncertainty that envelops mankind right now is not easy to grasp. A strange, eerie feeling is slowly dawning on all of us, making it hard to concentrate on any one thing for long. This experience will certainly affect my thinking and works, but the nature of this change is yet to unfold itself. The way I can't predict my dreams, I can't possibly figure out the impact of this Covid experience on my ceramic forms. Though, since these days I find myself contemplating on more organic ways of living, I also find myself thinking on shifting to terracotta because of its local availability, less fuel consumption etc. It will also give me more opportunity to work with the indigenous potters of my locality. If this shift occurs, my works will change on many levels.

BIO: shampa shah

Shampa Shah’s clay practice is located in the dialogue between the traditional and the modern, which also informs her writing and curating. Working in ceramics for three decades, she has exhibited widely across India and abroad. She established and has headed the ceramic section at Indira Gandhi National Museum of Man (IGRMS) in Bhopal for over two decades, where she has curated key exhibitions.

Shampa is a five-time recipient of the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) Award. She has also received the Junior National Fellowship of Ministry of Human Resource and the Roopankar Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. She has published widely on contemporary art and storytelling traditions of India including Tribal Crafts of M.P. from Mapin. Her best-known works are a fusion of plant and animal forms from a series called Transformation.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

shampashah@gmail.com

www.claydeep.wordpress.com

rate of affection

Shampa Shah nominates Mudita Bhandari