A canopy of trees creating a halo in the forest.

The crunching of the fallen leaves beneath your feet. Enter the space by Jayashree Chakravarty. Breathe closer to the skin of nature, let its pulsating energy awaken your senses.

Born in Agartala, Tripura, Chakravarty grew up amidst the lush landscapes and the diverse flora and fauna of the region. Often visiting the jungle with her father in Tripura she developed a bond with nature from a young age. Her practice as an artist illustrates a deep connection to the wilderness, portraying its various forms, shades and textures through a unique visual language.

Her move towards abstraction within her practice afforded her the opportunity to play with scale and media in her works. The artist's use of organic materials such as natural fibres, leaves, and handmade paper was essential in developing her large-scale immersive paper scroll installations.

Working with the themes of environment and ecology, she continues her research into the intricate web of the natural world for her latest exhibition. At the heart of the exhibit lies a towering 30-foot-long paper scroll installation ‘Experience of the Land’ suspended from the ceiling, serving as the centrepiece of the entire display. Inviting the audience into her exploration of the ecological structures, the visitors enter the partially enclosed structure and experience a space for quiet contemplation and immersion in the organic forms.

Fascinated by the interconnectedness of all life forms, her artworks often evoke a sense of reverence for the environment. Complementing the grandeur of the installation are four smaller yet equally fascinating sculptural ‘paintings’. In the series ‘Breathe Closer to the Skin’, Chakravarty deftly weaves together various artistic techniques and materials, effortlessly merging the ephemeral and the tangible.

Through her masterful use of mixed media, including handmade paper, organic dyes, and fabric, Chakravarty draws viewers into a world where every element - from the tiniest leaf to the vast expanse of the forest - is woven into a delicate web palpitating with interconnected energies.

Jayashree Chakravarty

Jayashree Chakravarty (b. 1956) completed her Graduation at Visva Bharati in the sprawling natural environs of Santiniketan. She pursued her Master’s at the Faculty of Fine Arts at The Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, where she was exposed to an urban sensibility. She was also an artist in residence at Aix-en-Provence from 1993-95 where she was influenced in the formative years of her practice by the French movement Supports/Surfaces, especially by Claude Viallat and also had conversations with some of the group members at the time. Inventing her creative techniques, using organic material and varied kinds of papers, her installations in the form of paper scrolls remain unique in their conceptions and execution. Jayashree has had exhibitions both in India and abroad, with shows at various museums, including the Musee Departemental Des Arts Asiatiques Nice, France; The Tagore Centre, Berlin, Germany; Chicago Cultural Center, Illinois, USA, and Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Singapore to name a few. Her recent shows include her exhibition at the Palazzo Madama, Turin, Italy; Musée Guimet, Paris, France; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, and Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Noida & New Delhi. The artist lives and works in Kolkata, India.