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March 9, 2015 – Review
Rina Banerjee’s "Migration’s Breath"
In Rina Banerjee’s exhibition “Migration’s Breath,” the Indian-born, New York-based artist’s sculptures are like mystical creatures borne out of an enticing mixture of natural and commercial detritus—plastic, cowry shells, brightly colored ribbons, light bulbs, doll parts, feathers, rope. Her works on paper create contexts for the gods, monsters, and mortals that Banerjee depicts, giving glimpses into their stories. While the works evoke traditional narratives and fairytales, the materials themselves reflect the everything-at-once phenomena of Amazon, Alibaba, and Etsy. Banerjee sources her materials online before working with fabricators to produce armatures that she then populates with the diverse array of materials that give her figures life and energy.
The Singapore outpost of Ota Fine Art is located at Gillman Barracks, a cluster of nearly 20 art galleries—including the recently opened Centre for Contemporary Art—in one of the British army’s former colonial properties. There is a synergy between the commercial progression of the residue of British imperialism that codes this newly formed art precinct and the compelling, intermingling postcolonial narratives and motifs of Banerjee’s exhibition, drawn from the artist’s own immersion in West Bengali, Indian, and American cultures.
“Migration’s Breath” is presented in a gallery partitioned into two sections, each anchored by an artwork …