Ranjani Shettar

Ranjani Shettar is the first ever living Indian artist to have a solo exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 2018. Her work was described as compelling both abstractly and figuratively, gravity defying, and a “fine synthesis of unlikely materials.” Shettar is an artist that is both innovative and modern as well as in tune to tradition. Her art is both inspired and responsive, “ultimately, it is administered equally by a subjective logic and ideology—one that incorporates observation, slowness and social responsibility.” Her work has been praised all over the world, called “bold experimentation” in Boston, observatory and reflective in Washington, “radically transformative” in New York, “stunning and sensual” in San Francisco.

2017- Ranjani Shettar: Between the sky and earth, text by Catherine deZegher, Ranjani Shettar, Deepak Talwar, Talwar Gallery

2011- Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar 2008- Sanskriti Award, India

2011- Ranjani Shettar: Dewdrops and Sunshine, Essay by Alex Baker, National Gallery of Victoria,

2009- Epiphanies, Essay by Marta Jakimowicz, Talwar Gallery

2006- Freeing the Line, Essay by Catherine de Zegher, Marian Goodman Gallery

2005- Transition and Transformation: A. Balasubramaniam and Ranjani Shettar, Essays by Loretta Yarlow and Deepak Talwar, Published by University Gallery, Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, MA, US

Ranjani Shettar had her first solo exhibition in the United States at the Talwar Gallery in New York, NY in 2004. The Indian Spring showcased two of her sculptural works: Vasanta and In Bloom. Vasanta is characterized by its intensity: a cosmic curtain representative of transitions, while In Bloom is a luxurious composition that celebrates the indulgence of materiality. Holland Cotter reviewing the exhibition for The New York Times wrote “Ranjani Shettar, a young Indian artist based in Bangalore, makes her New York solo debut with this two‐sculpture show, and itʹs a beauty.” Deepak Talwar, owner of the gallery, befriended the artist one year earlier and describes her art as speaking “with [its] own unique and elegant language.” Talwar notes on the artist's devotion and understanding of her materials, remarking on her dedication to process. She is an artist unafraid of time, her works evolve over months or years, a process which enables her to foster a strong relationship with the materials she uses. She uses sustainable materials that correspond with the artist's deep sense of ecological responsibility. Her love of nature is obvious in her work and is rooted in the coexistence of nature and man.

2000- Masters of Fine Arts (Sculpture) Chitrakala Institute of Advanced Studies, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore, India

Shettar's projects are mostly sculptural, however she has experimented in other forms as well. One such project is Varsha, an artist's book in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art (New York). The covers are made of zinc-alloy with silver inlay and the pages consist of 16 prints accordion book inspired by different Monsoon rains in India and a special text by Anita Desai. There are silkscreen and wood block prints, etching and laser prints. Shettar's works have been the subject of various publications from National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and galleries like the Talwar Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery. Shettar has also been awarded with the Hebbar Foundation award in 1999 and 2003, as well as the Charles Wallace Trust Award in 2004, the Sanskriti award in 2008, and the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskar in 2011 for her works.

Shettar received her Bachelors of Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 1998 and her Masters of Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 2000, from the College of Fine Art Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath and the Institute of Advanced Studies Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bangalore respectively. Shettar's finished works are grand in scale and effect, so it may come as surprising that her art begins in a very modest way.

1998- Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) College of Fine Art, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore, India

Ranjani Shettar was born in 1977 in Bangalore, India. She is a visual artist, who is perhaps best known for her large-scale sculptural installations (see exhibitions). She currently lives and works in Karnataka, India.