The term bindi is derived from bindu, the Sanskrit word for a dot or a point, and also carries the meaning of the numeral zero. The bindi in India is traditionally a mark of pigment applied to the forehead and is associated with the Hindu symbol of the third eye. When worn by women in the customary colour of red, it is a symbol of marriage. In recent times it has become a decorative item, worn by unmarried girls and women of other religions as well. Today's bindis are commercially manufactured in many colours and designs.
Kher uses the ready-made bindi as a central motif of her practice. This tiny decoration is used as a means of transforming objects and surfaces. Her use of the bindi brings to her art a range of meanings and connotations across historical and contemporary periods. She is known for her menagerie of resin-cast animals, which are covered with the bindi, and she also uses the bindi to make large, wall-based panels. These sensual abstract surfaces may be described as swirls of contrasting coloured dots and shapes. When not working with the bindi, Kher’s practice encompasses digital photography and sculptural works that continue to explore her interest in kitsch and popular consumer culture.
Bharti Kher’s growing international reputation includes important recent exhibitions such as ‘Indian Summer: Contemporary Art in India’, Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris, in 2005. She has had a series of solo exhibitions in New York, New Delhi, Amsterdam and in Bangalore, India, in early 2006.
Gallery 1, QAG (Kids' APT)
A full-colour publication is available from the Gallery Store.
View Bharti Kher artist Video (2 minute 01 seconds)
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