The Pulse

Aestheticizing the Reality of a Polluted River

Vibha Galhotra, “365 Days” (2015), 365 drawings made of ink, photocopy, collage and sediment on paper, and 365 glass bottles, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 1 3/8 in (each framed drawing), 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 diameter (each glass bottle), overall installation dimensions variable (click to enlarge)
Vibha Galhotra, “365 Days” (2015), 365 drawings made of ink, photocopy, collage and sediment on paper, and 365 glass bottles, 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 1 3/8 in (each framed drawing), 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 diameter (each glass bottle), overall installation dimensions variable (click to enlarge)

The Yamuna River in India is both highly venerated and also highly polluted. Where it flows through New Delhi, the river is both a site of purification rituals and also the city’s open sewer. This review of the exhibition ABSUR- CITY –PITY DITY explores this paradox. Artwork is included from multiple media; more detail is at the artist’s web site.

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