Destruction, creation, feminism and comic books collide in renowned Brooklyn artist's first Canadian solo exhibit, Calgary Herald
On Oct. 3, New York artist Chitra Ganesh was supposed to begin an ambitious mural in the Ring Gallery of Contemporary Calgary. The piece, one of the many highlights of Ganesh’s Astral Dance exhibit, would go on to cover nearly 20 metres of space on the unique curved walls of the gallery. Entitled the Wolf Watcher’s Dream, the site-specific mural showcases a number of the renowned artist’s hallmarks. There are depictions of the female form and mixed-media collages set against an ethereal pinkish-sunset background. One ornate, old-fashioned image was inspired by the cover art of a Columbia Records album of Indian music from the 1960s that had been in her father’s record collection. There’s a peacock that is done in the style of a children’s literature illustration. One of the figures borrows from a style popularized by 19th-century courtesans in India.
Once the exhibit ends its run on Jan. 29, the mural will disappear. This means that spectators, already treated to the first Canadian solo exhibit by Ganesh and arguably the most comprehensive ever in covering her 20-years-plus career, will get to see an exclusive piece that will never be on display anywhere else.
But the thing about creating a site-specific mural at a gallery is that the artist needs to be on-site to create it. Unfortunately, Ganesh tested positive for COVID-19, which meant she had to spend her first days in Calgary in isolation. So she didn’t get to start work on the project until Oct. 7. Miraculously, The Wolf Watcher’s Dream was complete by Oct. 12 for a media preview of Astral Dance.