Surface Tension | Manjari Sharma
Untitled from the series Surface Tension, 2019 © Manjari Sharma
Written by Simran Tuteja
All life forms’ dependency on one of the five elements of nature, water, has stayed constant over the course of time and from time to time we are reminded of the power that it holds over us. Water can sustain lives and it can destroy lives. Manjari Sharma’s new body of work, Surface Tension, delves into the metaphysical relationship that humans hold with water. The exhibition begins on September 8, 2023 and will run until November 4, 2023 at Assembly, Houston, Texas.
Her faceless subjects, sometimes naked and sometimes partly naked, are captured while submerged in swimming pools. In one of the photographs, only the subject's backside is visible and their arms are extended towards the sides. The reflection of water formed on the human body looks like it has been printed on them which the artist gracefully captured. The ambiguity of the image invites the audience to wonder whether the subject is enjoying their freedom or is lost in the search of freedom much like the ambiguous relationship that humans hold with water.
Untitled from the series Surface Tension, 2019 © Manjari Sharma
In another image featured in the exhibition, the color of water is greener than the rest of the images. The subject is holding their nose and their hair covers the face and only their side is visible. Bubbles appear around the subject as if they have just dived into the darker green water signifying movement. Whereas, in psychology, dark green has a rather negative connotation, representing stagnation and isolation. This ambiguous nature makes the audience dive deeper into the beauty and complexity of the image.
Untitled from the series Surface Tension, 2023 © Manjari Sharma
Sharma continues to stun the viewers by her painterly photographs by playing around with the reflections and it’s blurred effects. The subject lies freely in the water body with the silhouette of their frontside visible to the audience. Half of the background is dark blue representing improvement in problem-solving skills and decision-making whereas the other half is a lighter shade of blue representing determination and focus on detail. Using the subject’s movement from darker to lighter side, the artist cleverly manages to deliver the progression and hope towards betterment of one’s life while leaving the audience astonished.
Untitled from the series Surface Tension, 2019 © Manjari Sharma
Surface Tension doesn’t just comprise of images but also video works and site-specific installations through which Sharma metaphorically represents human life and emotions with the aid of water. Manjari Sharma was born and raised in Mumbai, India whose works revolve around her cultural background but extends to a more universal narrative. She uses her curiosity mingled with rituals and mythologies to explore human behavior and relationships.
She is a Los Angeles-based artist who moved to New York City and was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2017 to create a collaborative piece that was acclaimed internationally. She has received several awards and her collections have been exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Carlos Museum at Emory University, and the Birmingham Museum of Art, among others.
