Press Release

Sahil Naik’s third solo at Experimenter – Ballygunge Place, Kolkata, Specters, Specimens and Ships in Doubt continues to extract patterns between the histories of colonization and non-alignment, through projects of natural history, architectural modernism and the modalities of the Indian Ocean. Through a range of objects in circulation across time and sites, he challenges majoritarian, state-prescribed knowledge with the possibilities of stories and song, rumours and remakes. Staged between four events – the Portuguese fleet laying eyes on the “flaming forests” of Gulmohars in Madagascar; the Gujarati Gainda travelling from Goa to Europe as a gift for the pope; Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in outer space; and the mysterious fire that destroyed the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi – the exhibition traverses speculative, mystical and conceptual terrains to reconcile with preservation and loss, fluid identities, the search for magic, space quest and the mermaid’s song that led a ship in doubt to solid ground.

– Excerpt from Mario D’Souza’s essay for Specters, Specimens and Ships in Doubt.

Sahil Naik’s (b. 1991, lives and works in Goa, India) practice examines the modalities of evidence and truth through, architecture, minor and casual histories, mythology, forensics and the internet. His ongoing project Monuments, Mausoleums, Memorials, Modernism studies the violence of the nation-building project with a focus on South Asia and the non-aligned world. Education: M.V.A (Sculpture), Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University of Baroda; B.F.A (Sculpture), Goa College of Art. Solo Exhibitions include: 2021, All is water, and to water we must return, Experimenter, Kolkata; 2020, Monuments, Mausoleums, Memorials, Modernism, Experimenter, Kolkata; 2017, Ground Zero, Experimenter, Kolkata. Select Group Exhibitions: 2023, Art Encounters Biennale, Timișoara; 2022, HAZE, Foundazion Elpis, Milan; 2022, Kochi-Muziris Biennale; 2022, Monuments on Paper, VITRINE, Basel; 2019, Urban Reimagined 2.0, Curated By Ravi Agarwal, Serendipity Arts Festival 2019, Goa.

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About the Artist

Goa-based artist Sahil Naik is known for his sculptural installations which resemble architectural models and explore construction, global conflicts, nation-building and mythology.

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Also Exhibiting at Experimenter

About the Gallery
Experimenter was co-founded by Prateek & Priyanka Raja in 2009. With a multidisciplinary approach, the gallery is an incubator for an ambitious and challenging contemporary practice. The program represents some of the most critical contemporary artists worldwide. Considered to be a ‘pace-setter’ for its region, the program extends from exhibition-making, to knowledge creation, through regular talks, performances, workshops and most importantly, through it’s much acclaimed, annual curatorial intensive, Experimenter Curators’ Hub. In 2016, its artist-book publishing wing, Experimenter Books was launched. Experimenter’s program is rooted in dialogue and dissent. In 2018, the Experimenter Learning Program (ELP) was launched. ELP enables discussion, debate and learning in fields of contemporary and performing arts, curatorship, film, writing, language and social culture. In 2019, Experimenter Outpost an iterative exhibitions program outside the physical gallery where an extension of the program temporarily inhabits disused, characterful spaces was launched. In 2020, Experimenter Labs, an inclusive, experimental, online platform in addition to the onsite gallery programming was launched. Its third space Experimenter – Colaba, established in 2022, underscores the commitment of its discursive programming to Mumbai, a city that in turn represents the diverse pluralities of the region.
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Address
45 Ballygunge Place
Ballygunge
Kolkata
India
Opening Hours
10.30 am - 6.30 pm | Tuesday–Saturday
(1)
Kolkata 45 Ballygunge Place, Ballygunge
Experimenter
45 Ballygunge Place, Ballygunge, Kolkata, India
+91 33 4001 2289
http://www.experimenter.in

Opening hours
10.30 am - 6.30 pm | Tuesday–Saturday
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