The Grand and Intimate Designs of the Universe

Whether staring up at the stars or examining the cracks in a wall, we are all part of the same cosmic story, says Premjish Achari, as he moves in and out of Jitish Kallat’s inter-connected zones of signification.

- Premjish Achari

The sculptural coil Whorled (Here After Here After Here) by Jitish Kallat rests magnificently in the courtyard of London’s Somerset House, a mesmeric spiral that draws us in with its turns.

Its wild loop acts as an enticement, captivating onlookers and provoking them to venture deeper into its mysterious depths. All the questions of time and space – our perceptions, limitations and realities – swirl within us as if pulled into this powerful vortex. The conceptual charge and the spatial arrangement of this whorl are dynamic, creating a dizzying feeling; long scrolls of intertwined circles and words, replicating the appearance of UK street signs, impel and immerse viewers to face their innermost thoughts on time and space. Each rotation further emphasizes our smallness in the grand design of the universe.

Immersed in this perplexing experience, we are humbled into insignificance. The conceptual core of the sculptural creation, on view from the 16th of February to the 23rd of April, resonates with Kallat’s interdisciplinary artistic interests, fuelled by a commitment to scientific exploration, mathematical principles and investigation of astronomical realms. His creative manipulations of archival images have created startling constellations of visuality and unearthed data hidden within complex layers of visualisation. This combination of practices has enabled him to forge an impactful curatorial project such as the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2014). Through his meticulous investigations, including the exhibition Otherwhile at Chemould Prescott Road from the 4th of December to the 4th of January, in Mumbai, Kallat has catalysed a conversation about our place in this universe.