Nature Morte presents the first solo exhibition in Delhi of works by Asim Waqif. The artist already has a significant reputation in the art world of India for creating works of ambitious scope and prodigious implications. Trained as an architect, Waqif’s foundation is always our built environment, which extends to research into materials, the politics of urban planning, a consciousness of the manipulations inherent in consumer society, and the questioning of aesthetic parameters. The artist’s title for the exhibition, [Disruptions], alludes to our un-built environment, the emphasis being on the corrupt, misused, bastardized, and degenerate aspects of our civic spaces.

The exhibition will include sculptures, installations, videos and photographic relief constructions. In all, the artist approaches the concept of the “leftover” as his inspiration, investigating issues of sustainability and recycling, public and private memories, residual spaces, illogical bureaucracies and policies arrived at by chance. As would be expected, the artist will create new works in response to the architecture of the gallery space and also situate some older works into new configurations for this display.

Born in Hyderabad in 1978, Asim Waqif lives and works in New Delhi. He studied architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, graduating in 2000. After initially working as an art director for film and television, he went on to make independent video and documentaries before moving to a dedicated art practice. Recent exhibitions of his work have been presented at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris with the generous support of SAM Art Projects; Rosenfeld Gallery, Tel Aviv; Wanas Konst Foundation, Sweden; the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Noida; and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai.

Image: © Asim Waqif, Nature Morte