Yamini Nayar

Yamini Nayar is an accomplished artist known for her captivating photographic and sculptural works.

Biography of Yamini Nayar

Yamini Nayar, born in 1975, is an esteemed visual artist who splits her time between New York and Delhi.

After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree at the renowned Rhode Island School of Design in Rhode Island, Yamini Nayar pursued her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Yamini Nayar's art style

Yamini Nayar is a visionary artist known for her striking large-scale photographs, which emerge from sculptures constructed from found materials. Her artistic practice deftly intersects the realms of photography, sculpture, and architecture. Nayar delves into diverse themes, including postcolonial narratives, memory, migration, informal architecture and dwellings, modernist architecture, and alternate and imagined modernities.

Exhibitions of Yamini Nayar

In her latest exhibition, "THREE SPACES for TIME," Yamini Nayar explores the dynamic relationship between sculpture, photography, and the concept of time. The artist begins her creative process by constructing stand-alone and wall-based sculptures using diverse studio materials, primarily wood, plaster, and paperboard. Through the camera lens, these sculptures are transformed into visually striking scenes reminiscent of architectural structures,  simultaneously monumental and fragile.

In "THREE SPACES for TIME," Yamini Nayar employs a technique of merging multiple exposures captured at different phases of the same model. This innovative approach results in the creation of multidimensional visual spaces characterized by confounding complexity.

Notably, Nayar works with black-and-white negatives, drawing inspiration from the tri-color separation method popular in the early 20th century. The absence of color invites viewers to focus on the intricate interplay of form, light, and shadow, heightening the emotional impact of the artwork.

An axe for a wing-bone

In the exhibition titled "an axe for a wing-bone," Yamini Nayar presents a series of artworks that exude an even greater sense of impermanence compared to her earlier pieces. Within these works, she skillfully disrupts and challenges traditional notions of meaning and logic, embracing a classic surrealist approach that creates a clash of visual impulses.

Nayar's constructions, which previously appeared fractured yet stable, now embody an intensified sense of precariousness. They exude a delicate energy that reflects the essence of a place whose very structure is built upon the constant movement and shifting of time. One source of inspiration for the artist is her exploration of modernist architecture, particularly the designs of the Сonstructivists and the Bauhaus movement from the 1920s and 1930s. The monumental qualities of these architectural styles echo throughout Nayar's work as she presents ambitious structures supported by fragile, skeletal underpinnings.

Artistic Achievements and Recognition

Nayar's art is featured in the collections of esteemed institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Saatchi Collection, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the US Department of State Art in Embassies collection.

Throughout her artistic career, Nayar's exceptional talent and dedication have been acknowledged with prestigious awards and grants. She has been honored as a recipient of the Lightborne Fellowship, the Aaron Siskind Fellowship, and an Art Matters Foundation grant. 

Yamini Nayar's artistic endeavors have garnered critical acclaim and have been reviewed by reputable publications such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Hindu, and Artforum.