It was in the late 1980s that artist Hemi Bawa travelled to Europe, and she came across the sculptures at St. Martin’s in London. Having been inspired by the versatility of the fragile medium, Hemi went on to further explore cast glass in workshops outside the city. Upon her return to India, she imported her own furnace, set up a studio in Faridabad’s industrial zone, and started working with recycled windshields, toughened glass, and locally available materials, reports Pankil Jhajhria of The New Indian Express.
Some of those grand sculptures made by Bawa, over a period of three decades, are on display at her ongoing exhibition ‘Stories… in Glass’, at Travancore Palace in New Delhi. Curated by Dr. Kristine Michael, with artistic direction by Ashwini Pai Bahadur, it will be on display till October 13.
During her interaction with TMS, Bawa explains what fascinated her about using glass as a medium for art.“I was always into painting on canvas, oil painting, and acrylic painting,” she says. “Then I started experimenting with clay, and when I put the clay in the furnace and later added crushed glass, I loved the results of the glass after it had melted in the furnace. So that attracted me more towards the medium.”
As Bawa’s travels continued, she found people working with cast glass, which intrigued her. “It has a different kind of body than blown glass. Blown glass is very fine and refined. I like the texture of the cast glass which is done in the furnace,” she adds.
The lost wax technique
Describing her technique, Bawa explains, “I make a sculpture out of wax and then I make a mould around it. It’s called the lost wax technique. Then you remove the wax from the mould and fill it up with glass nuggets or chunks of glass or crushed glass and you put it in the furnace. It melts and takes the shape of the cast; and then you throw away the mould and then you have your piece ready.”
Sometimes, in her art pieces, the artist also includes copper elements in her work. “I put a silhouette cut in copper inside the glass and again I put it in the furnace so that it becomes part of the glass and becomes one piece,” she says. “In some areas, I use high temperature pigment like borders and that is again fired in the furnace. So all my work is in the furnace.”
Bawa agrees that working with glass is not easy. “Yes, it is a difficult process but as you get experienced in it and do more of it, you learn to handle it,” she notes, adding, “Of course, there is breakage — but that is part of the process.”
When asked about how her art has evolved over time, she replies, “With practice, practice, practice, practice.” Anything you do over a period of time, according to her, you get better at the art; you get better at the process, and you get better at handling it.
Fragile, but enduring
Formally, the Padma Shree awardee learnt making glass art at Triveni Kala Sangam in 1969, and her first exhibition at the Shridharani Gallery was held in 1980. Her art encompasses sculptures and installations made out of glass, fibreglass, ceramics, copper, and mixed media.
In one of the corners at the gallery, a cluster of tall, black vases hold bright yellow glass poppies blooming out of twisted stems. The flower petals appear fragile, and perfectly moulded at the right places.
Occupying a whole room in the art gallery, another installation features life sized trees sculpted from glass and mixed materials. The textured trunks branch out into a canopy of translucent glass leaves that glimmer under the lights above.
According to the artist, her favourite installation is ‘Healing’ — addressing themes of trauma, community, and care, using the symbols of hands. The dark, human figures with a stone-like finish in this artwork have been installed with variations in postures, with glowing hand imprints across their bodies — some with folded arms, others with open gestures like hugging, caressing,etc., suggesting vulnerability, discomfort, and even care.
On the other hand, the Mughal jaali series — has been created with patina effects on copper and fired glass surfaces with gold and platinum pigment.
The Padma Shree awardee notes that glass has been her companion for over three decades. The material is delicate, but enduring. In its transparency, the artist says, she finds truth. In its strength, she finds her own.