Commissioned Projects
TITLE: GANDHI AND INDUSTRY
Dimensions: 42 Inches X 60 Inches
Medium: Tar, Encaustic Wax, Metal Nuts, Metal Washers and Jute on Canvas
Category: Mixed Media Painting
Owners: Available for Sale
Simran uses symbolism to depict the cornerstone of the Gandhian philosophy of self reliance through the depiction of a charkha through contemporary media.
Each individual component used in the painting has a thematic reference in terms of industry it originates from and is simultaneously representative of fractured time line with use of construction material such as tar and metal nuts coming to the fore and being representative of modern industry and an ever resonating ideology.
The painting captures the depiction of the artists view of a dystopian modern industry being encapsulated in nouveau commercial and construction activity, an industry in flux, which is constantly evolving away from its more traditional origins, its current space portrayed through the use of metal washers and tar coupled with jute bag impressions and wax.
With a minimalist use of the media at play, the elements of the allied media finally bind together to form the abstractions of industry in the foreground of the painting whilst Gandhian philosophies of self reliance and the development of cottage industry take center stage by forming the cynosure of attention in the form of a charkha, raising juxtapositions of the traditional methods and the modern industry along with questions of sustenance and methods employed.
The use of colour variations and charcoal lines diluted in the background along with careful tonal denomination come across as a homage to the philosophy propagated by Gandhi with natural metallic tones being utilized to depict the charkha and the depiction of ‘the mirage of time in motion’ through the streaks of tar treatments running through the canvas.
The treatments on display within the painting present the subject through a transient effect on the canvas, the duality of both a moment frozen in time for viewers to imbibe from the charkha; its philosophy and representational value, the symbolic context of the ideology it propagates within our industrial settings and also simultaneously representing the multiplicity of timelines that this philosophy has traversed on a linear time scale.
The choice of material explored also highlights the paucity of natural resources being faced in our current timeline through the use of a dark, viscous industrial element such as tar being representative of modern industry and the veneration of the ideology of self reliance which is depicted through the use of brass metal nuts forming – the charkha and its symbolic connotations.
Title: The Skygardens Project
Medium: Fabricated Iron Sheets, Wire Mesh, Metal Washers and Nuts, Tar and Automotive Paint
Category: Mixed Media Installation
Owners : Shirish Kumar Jerripothu and Family
The skygardens project was the commissioning of two life size metal shoe sculptures for the avant garde couple of Mr Shirish and Mrs Suchita by the internationally renowned interior design brand FADD Studio based in Bangalore, India.
FADD Studio commissioned the artist Simran KS Lamba to make the sculptures using his unique perspective and trademark tar treatments to bring to fore a set of metal shoe sculptures that act as the base leading onto the luxurious bar and its accompanying paraphernalia in the background. Metal washers and metal nuts coupled with wire mesh and iron plates were used to construct the female shoe with the colour tonality of purple, deep blue and silver being employed to capture the effervescence of a cold colour palate, while the male boot was made with circular iron disks and wiremesh in colour tones of dark brown and shades of mahogany, depicting an earthy colour tone. The structures were treated with tar treatments unique to the artist that led to a 3D textured effect running through the structure and adding to its aesthetic appeal and wonder.
This mixed media project envisaged by the country’s leading interior design firm FADD Studio, in collaboration with the artist sought to highlight the beauty of a simple yet inherently complex aesthetic form, bringing into focus the stylisation of its shape and its visual aesthetic appeal with the use of a set of multiple and diverse media.
This multi disciplinary approach of using a melange of materials to bring about its innate form and the corresponding treatments was Simran’s forte wherein he used his perspective and rich work experience, to allow for the formation of a one of a kind metal sculpture set that was a homage to both; a stylized structure and the fashion industry as well, an industry wherein the owners of the sculptures have made an indelible mark through their vision and enterprise, over the course of several decades.
Tree of Responsibility Project
Medium : Wire Mesh, Terracotta, Muslin Kaantha Stich Fabric, Led Lights, Copper, Brass and Aluminium Sheets, Nickel Plated Iron Sheets and Refurbished Iron Sheets and Plates.
Category: Mixed Media Installation
Owner: ITC Sonar Bangla, Kolkata
The “Tree of Responsibility-2015” project was commissioned by Crafts Council Of Bengal and the ITC Group in collaboration with the artist Simran KS Lamba wherein the artist was asked to undertake the making of the annual christmas tree as part of the Tree of Responsibility project for the ITC Hotel Group in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The project envisaged the making of a 12 foot Christmas tree using translucent white muslin hand-stitched fabric on a structure of wire mesh coupled with the use of hand moulded terracotta motifs running through it as a homage to the handloom and hand-made crafts traditions of the state of West Bengal. The base of the Christmas tree was then adorned with a multitude of artefacts brought from all the districts of West Bengal by the Crafts Council of Bengal, showcasing the beautiful and intricate work by the artisans of the state and was a stellar statement towards showcasing the inherent magnificence of the various traditions of art and craft that have originated in the state of West Bengal.
The Tree of Responsibility project essentially brought to the fore the need to highlight indigenous art and crafts traditions within the state and commissioned the multi disciplinary artist to use material that otherwise would have found the scrapyard to be a home. Simran took up this project with a natural flair having used industrial scrap and metal waste in several of his paintings and installations earlier and hence brought to fruition a fascinating play between soft and hard materials to bring forth an iteration of the Christmas tree that amalgamated the showcasing of the rich traditions of Bengal with his unique perspective within the realm of mixed media.
Using his background of growing up in West Bengal and observing the nascent fashion industry take form over the course of three decades through the work of his highly feted fashion designer mother, Mona Lamba, Simran decided to use the softeness of the muslin fabric with hand embroidered kaantha stich to showcase the snow covered branches of the Christmas tree and simultaneously used refurbished metal pieces and planks coupled with waste metal wiremesh to construct the body of the tree, embellishing the same with motifs of Bengal’s exemplary tradition within the realm of terracotta creation and fabrication.
The Tree of Responsibility eventually transpired into an ode to several prominent traditions of art and craft within the state and also to the multitude of artisans of the state whose craftmanship and folk aesthetics were highlighted within the structure of the project, thereby achieving a unison of form and aesthetic that the artist is now well renowned for.
