Vibha Galhotra offers self-reflective perspectives on the climate crisis

Artist Vibha Galhotra's first solo exhibition in the United Kingdom, Climacteric Whispers at Goodman Gallery in London, focused on her visual practice of 15 years, bringing climate change into focus. The exhibition was on view from July 9 - August 17, 2024. The climate crisis is a result of never settling human needs. Galhotra’s works are customarily made from what she calls “urban and war-affected zone debris”. This repurposed material is an invitation for viewers to retrace the origin of the material, often underscoring the lopsided effects of human interference with nature. Her research, driven and inspired by the Land Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s that originated in the United States, encouraged her to gauge the deterioration of topographies close to home in India. This imbalance—a result of consumerism, capitalism and globalisation—is characterised by fragmentation: a ubiquitous character of Galhotra's visual language. Disavowing fineness and smoothness, the artworks intentionally mirror the planet's disrupted equilibrium, serving as a stark visual representation of the ecological crisis.

Galhotra’s Wounded series (2019), shown at Goodman, was a metaphorical representation of our carbon footprint. Five white circular works are created from casting impressions on paper, a technique inspired by the artist Somnath Hore’s work, Wounds. The impressions are made with sharp objects and left to settle, depicting scars on the planet, while the surface represents the fragility of earth. The circular shape then represents a geological portrayal of the earth. The use of the word “wounded” in the title reflects the sensitivity imbued in the works; they are fragile and delicate and in need of care and nurturing. Galhotra said, “In my studio, I performed these markings on cement plates, symbolising the greed and unsustainable practices of humanity.”

Flow (2015), set to mimic the path of the Yamuna River and signify the pollution of this waterbody was created from ankle bells or ghungroos, traditionally used in classical dance and as ornamentation. The wall-based sculpture flows downwards from the point of origin to deposit itself on the surface of the gallery floor. The metallic colouring represents the river's accumulating containment of dirt, pollutants and waste. Galhotra repurposed anklets which originally made a tinkling sound to symbolise a voiceless and muted environment that is forced to act upon human needs that contradict its natural character. 

Galhotra, who currently resides in the capital city of India, New Delhi, has been witness to the changing landscape of the region. Addressing how wars and natural calamities have affected and transformed the urban environment has been crucial in her artistic research, which is evident in the Beneath (2024) series of works. Galhotra places concrete rubble alongside the anklets, creating a direct and vivid visual representation of the parallel between natural and artificial. The beehive-like structure made from the anklets emphasises how organic and inorganic elements come together to meet human needs.

I often explore the absurdities of the world around me, reflecting on them through my work. This approach allows me to engage with the issues of our era both as an observer and as someone who lives through these times. – Vibha Galhotra, artist

Climacteric Whispers highlighted human interaction and interference with the planet and how it further creates environmental hazards. The exhibition called attention to the earth, offering a reminder to nurture it. Galhotra, acknowledging her role as an artist, reflected on her position, “I always see my role as an artist as a privilege and a responsibility to tell the story of our times to the best of my ability. I often explore the absurdities of the world around me, reflecting on them through my work. This approach allows me to engage with the issues of our era both as an observer and as someone who lives through these times.”

‘Climacteric Whispers’ by Vibha Galhotra was on view from July 9 - August 17, 2024, at Goodman Gallery, London.