These Sculptural paintings recall the topography of city spaces, patches of wasteland that look like scars in the landscape, or enigmatic inscriptions on the walls in the form of contours, doodles and scribbles. In this process of palimpsest-like layering Aaditi reveals the underlying grid structure, colours and intricacies of the polypropylene bags and thick patches of cement resulting in opaque surfaces in others. At the end of the layering, resin as a binder and a matte finish are applied.

This artwork alludes to the narratives of the unorganised zones in the city. and includes a strict geomettric order. The cement is mixed with water and poured into a mould. The conventional stretcher is then replaced by a metal mesh, after which the polypropylene bag placed on it absorbs the cement.

Having experimented with a number of materials before, it was only the malleability of cement that eventually allowed Joshi to achieve the desired effect of orchestrating a distinctive balance between continuity and rapture, density of the ‘paint’ and porousness.

Written by Birgid Uccia