Structural Passages: Sareena Khemka's Between the Nooks and Crannies

between the nooks and crannies 2, 48 x 36 inches

between the nooks and crannies (panel 4) , 48 x 36 inches

between the nooks and crannies (panel 2), 48 x 36 inches

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 5)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 8)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 3)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 2)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 4)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 6)

between the nooks and crannies 2 (panel 7)

 between the nooks and crannies 2

In Between the Nooks & Crannies, Mixed media drawing on paper, 48” x 36, ”  (9 panels )  2020 

In Between the Nooks & Crannies was created as a ‘deep map’ of a fictional landscape that existed in a liminal space of the real and imaginary, amalgamating natural and urban forms seen from an aerial perspective. Drawn during the onset of the pandemic the work is an intuitive deep dive of traversing physical and metaphysical spaces through its curves and bends triggering memories of known and unknown spaces, subconsciously drawing from the landscapes of Bangalore and Bombay that create a liminal space.

Organic forms of drawing that flow across the surfaces are derived from studies of decaying material that the artist developed while visiting dumping grounds and seeing piles of rubbish lying in heaps by the side of the road, that now seep through all of her works forming stylized patterns of unrecognizable traces of material objects, that fuse into the natural landscapes creating new terrains.

 *¹‘Deep Map,’ was a term that first emerged through a book written by American Author, William Least Heat-Moon in PrairyErth: A deep Map on his travels through Kansas that made one conscious of multiple ways of perceiving a place through all its layers.

About:  

Sareena Khemka, 1983. Kolkata 

Sareena Khemka’s current practice explores urban spaces through the contrasting themes of construction and destruction, as well as preservation and regeneration, within manufactured and organic environments. Working across multiple mediums—drawing, painting, and sculptural installations—she examines the permanence and transience of urban landscapes through material interventions and the ephemeral memories associated with space.

In her series Landscape of Loss and Belonging, the artist delves into the impermanence of familiar places by capturing the deteriorating surfaces of her ancestral home. Through graphite rubbings and organic drawings of decay, her works evoke the pathos of modern landscapes in ruins. Each work forms a fragile yet resilient layer, reminiscent of preserved skin, embodying the tactile experience of touching these crumbling structures. 

As her house faces imminent demolition, these drawings become fragments of a broader, lifelong project—one that will gradually reveal deeply personal memories both tangible and intangible.