The exhibition builds upon experiential approaches and aspects of artistic working that remain indispensable to the practices of artists Chathuri Nissansala, Kopal Seth, Natasha Singh, and Vaishali Oak.

In contrasting the body, and their motion not as an externalised act, but as an integral, intimate aspect of their practice’s procedural structure, these artists bridge the separation that factors between the self, and surrounding, uniquely utilising the performing body as a site where histories, emotions, and materials intersect.

For Chathuri and Natasha, performance is both a foundation and a prelude to their practice. Chathuri Nissansala’s performances are not merely precursors but also acts of restitution, where history and identity are reclaimed through her bodily engagement with both the material and the tradition. Using found objects from colonial remnants, she overlays indigenous embroidery onto fragmented sculptures, transforming them into acts of reclamation and healing. Natasha Singh’s works delve into the interplay of body and technology through the practice of yoga, employing motion-capture and algorithmic processes to visualize her body’s movement in space. Through Singh’s work, the performance of breath, posture, and energy is immortalized, but never entirely fixed—always inviting new interpretations as it oscillates between the human and the digital.

Vaishali’s and Kopal’s tactile performance takes place in the making, where body, movement and material intertwine. In Vaishali Oak’s practice layers of fabric are stitched and then immediately scratched, often beyond her conscious control, the resulting works— reveal a unique weathered texture, serving both as a metaphor for time’s passage and its profound influence on our lives. Kopal Seth’s layered ceramic landscapes capture the emotional conflicts and intricacies of human life, presenting it as raw and deeply woven into the socio-cultural fabric of our times. Her Process is imbued with rapid, physical movement—an impromptu dance with clay that mirrors the fluidity of the forms themselves. These rigid sculptures, born from such expressive movement, reveal the paradox of fluidity captured in solid form, reminding us that even the most permanent of materials is, at its core, shaped by process.

Shaping Time: Performance as Practice foregrounds this union of body and material, emphasizing the freedom that impermanence, motion, and labour bring to the evolving nature of contemporary art. This exhibition invites engagement with artworks that are not only products of their process but also lived experiences in and of themselves.

- Yash Vikram

Yash Vikram

Yash Vikram is an independent art curator and consultant based between New Delhi and Varanasi. With a background in engineering, Yash brings a fresh perspective to contemporary art curation, emphasizing innovative ways of fostering new forms of meaning within the field. He is dedicated to exhibition-making practices that engage with pressing social, cultural, and political issues, aiming to amplify underrepresented and diverse voices. Through his work, Yash fosters dialogues that challenge and expand conventional narratives within the art ecosystem.

Transitioning from engineering to the art industry, Yash founded Ether Project, a nomadic art platform committed to supporting diverse artistic voices from South Asia, reflecting his dedication to making contemporary art more accessible and inclusive, reaching beyond major urban centres to engage wider audiences. His experience includes collaborations with institutions and galleries such as SA Ladakh, Vida Heydari Contemporary, and others.

Chathuri Nissansala

Chathuri Nissansala, born in 1993 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans performance art, painting, sculpture, and graphic arts. She/They holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Chitra Kala Parishath, Bengaluru, and a Masters in Visual Arts from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara. Chathuri’s work addresses complex themes of gender, class, queerness, and nationalism in Sri Lanka.

Chathuri’s notable solo exhibitions include Ritualizing Mutant Encounters at Barefoot Gallery, Colombo in 2024 and Ritualizing the Disfigured: Memorials of Healing from Sri Lanka at Anant Art Gallery in 2021. Her significant group exhibitions and performances include This Land is Not Mine, Mother! curated by Natasha Ginwala as part of Colomboscope; Way of the Forest curated by Natasha Ginwala, Hitmang Gurang, Sarker Protik, and Sheelasha Rajbandria in 2024; The Order of Nature in collaboration with the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, and Crafting the Cross Roads at Dhi Art Space, Hyderabad in 2022. She has also participated in international exhibitions such as Queernocopia curated by Myna Mukherjee under the Engendered platform, Delhi in 2022, and Momentum of Smell initiated by Mullegama Art Center in collaboration with the Sovereign Asian Art Foundation in 2022.

A recipient of the Commonwealth Scholarship, Southeast Asia by the ICCR (2012), Chathuri won the prestigious Prince Claus Seed Award in 2023 and has been nominated for The Emerging Artist Award by The Arts Family, London (2022-2023). Chathuri’s residencies and workshops include All Right Angles with Colomboscope and Geoffrey Bawa Trust (2023), the Kal residency with Archive Books, Goethe-Institut Karachi, and Colombo (2021), and Artsathone by the British Council, Colombo (2019). She has been awarded a residency at the Rijksakademie, Amsterdam (2024) and will serve as the intersectional advisor for the Queer Stitches project at the Textile Museum, Tilburg, Netherlands. Additionally, she co-founded KAGUL, an initiative focused on Sri Lanka’s southern performative textile traditions and gender studies, which launched the FE project to empower marginalized communities, including queer individuals and rural women artisans.

Chathuri Nissansala is currently an artist-in-residence at Rijksakademie, Amsterdam. She lives and practices in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Kopal Seth

Kopal Seth, born in Khurai, Madhya Pradesh, completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts from Maharaja Sayajirao University in 2018 and later earned her Masters in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2020. Growing up amidst Khurai’s cultural vibrancy and diverse landscapes, she developed a deep connection to themes of population, architecture, and the chaotic impact of human presence—elements that resonate throughout her ceramic works.

Kopal had her debut solo exhibition, Systematic Chaos, at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, USA, in 2021. She has also been part of numerous notable group exhibitions, including What She Means by Cultivate Art at The Stands, Mumbai in 2024, Edge & Refuse at MenLo Gallery, Jingdezhen, China in 2024, Interwoven Histories at Bikaner House, New Delhi in 2024, Yuva Sambhav 12 - The Raza Foundation at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi in 2024, A Proverbial Wardrobe at Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad in 2023, I Contain Multitudes at Weston Art Gallery, Ohio, USA in 2023, and Future Memories at The Clay Studio, Philadelphia in 2021, among many others. Her work has been featured on prominent online platforms, including Hyperallergic, RISD Museum, The Clay Studio, and JTW Ceramics. Kopal has participated in multiple residencies, including at MenLo Art Gallery in Jingdezhen, China (2024), Tendu Leaf Jungle Resort in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, India, and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia (2020-2021).

Kopal Seth is currently an artist-in-residence at the Longquan Wangou Taoxichuan International Studio in China. She lives and practices in Khurai, India.

Natasha Singh

Born in 1988 in Jiroft, Iran, Natasha Singh is an interdisciplinary artist whose work bridges ancient Indian art practices with contemporary creative technologies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Product Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad, and a Master’s degree in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Singh’s practice explores the relationship between rhythm, pattern, and the human body, often employing computer vision and cameras to create generative sculptures inspired by yoga. Her award-winning studio, Timeblur Studio, operates at the intersection of art and technology.

Most recently Natasha works were exhibited at Vida Heydari Contemporary, Pune in 2024, Delhi Contemporary Art Week in 2023, Art Mumbai 2023, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts in 2023, and the Indian Art, Architecture and Design Biennale in Delhi, 2023. Singh has also spoken at notable platforms such as EyeMyth Festival, Future Conference 2024, and TEDx.

Natasha Singh lives and practices in Gurgaon, India.

Vaishali Oak

Vaishali Oak, born in Pune, Maharashtra in 1970, is a distinguished textile artist whose practice combines traditional Indian textile techniques with a painterly approach to textile. She holds a Diploma in Drawing and Painting from Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya and a Master degree in Painting from S.N.D.T. College, Pune. Although trained as a painter, Oak works primarily with fabric, creating layered textile compositions that evoke the depth and nuance of painting.

Oak has presented her work in numerous solo exhibitions, including Chromatic Musings at Vida Heydari Contemporary in 2021, Transcending Times at Nandan Art Gallery, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 2015, and TIME at Waves Art Gallery, Pune in 2006, among others. She has also participated in significant group exhibitions worldwide at prestigious museums, biennales, and galleries. Some of her recent group exhibitions include Through Life - A Través de la Vida at Museo Casa Lleras, Colombia in 2024, EK JUTE at the National Crafts Museum and Hastakala Academy, New Delhi in 2024, Common Ground at Vida Heydari Contemporary in 2023, From Lausanne to Beijing at Yunnan Provincial Museum, China in 2022, and the World Textile Art 25th Anniversary at MIFA, Miami in 2022. In addition to her exhibition history, Oak has participated in various artist residencies, including Image and Its Reflection on Mind at Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd. in 2022, Raigad Activista in 2020, and the Piramal Artist Residency in 2019. Her achievements have been recognized with several awards, notably the Outstanding Artwork award at the 9th ‘From Lausanne to Beijing’ International Fiber Art Biennale in 2016.

Vaishali Oak lives and practices in Pune, India.