Sculptor Arzan Khambatta to celebrate his half a century with 50 artworks

Call it coincidence or twisted fate, sculptor and artist Arzan Khambatta mostly ends up holding his solo shows on his birthday. "I don't plan it," he confesses, "As artists, we barely have any control over the dates. Sometimes, we have to book the gallery at least five years in advance, before we get an approval."

Arzan Khambatta's sculptures

But, for the third time - the last being in 2003 and 2004, Khambatta will be showcasing his artworks on his birthday, which falls on October 11. This time, it's going to be special because the famed sculptor also turns 50.

To celebrate the occasion, Khambatta will be displaying 50 art pieces, which he has worked on over the last five years.

Titled Freeze Frame, the solo exhibition will see sculptures ranging from iron, copper, aluminium, stainless steel, brass and carved wood. "I love punning with words. So, I have taken simple, everyday situations and given a storyline.
Each of my art pieces are deeply connected with the titles. If you see my sculptures independently, they may make sense as visuals, but its their back stories that add the feather to the crown," he says.

This time, Khambatta has played with themes that people living in the modern city, contend with. When it comes to the material, Khambatta, who is known for his metal works, has shifted loyalties to wood. "For this show, there is an excess use of carved wood, because I wanted to highlight the features. So, wood helped, when I needed to bring out certain things that could not be achieved with metal," he says. However, to the undiscerning viewer, Khambatta said that the artworks would not look like wood, because he consciously painted all of them with one pigment colour. "I did it so that the viewer doesn't differentiate between my materials. I want the sculptures to flow as one piece," he says.

What's, however, relieving to know is that Khambatta, who took over five years to bring this solo show to the table, will not make art lovers wait too long for his next. "I have been dabbling in a lot of pen and inks. They are getting noticed, and I think they have a potential of being in a gallery sometime soon," he says, adding that it would hopefully happen next year, or in 2018. Either way, it's happening very soon.

When: October 12 to 17 (open to public), 11 to 7 PM
Where: Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda
Call: 22843989