Bharti Kher's Solarium Series Analysis

The two trees had been placed at two ends of the room with one tree stood normal, made to look like it is growing from the floor of the gallery, and the other fallen over laying on its side, however it was not placed on its side; the tree had obviously been knocked over there were many crumbles across the floor from the smashing of the animal heads on the floor of the room and the snapping of some of the branches. This fallen tree is to represent rejection, and the other tree acting as a warning. It is almost like the warning tree is saying this is what could happen, referring to the fallen dead tree, affirming the works message more so. The colour scheme used is quite pale, with pastel colours. The animal heads on the tree are a light pink flesh colour, attached to a light beige tree. These colours together are quite harmonious and work well together, with the fleshy colour being the most predominate with approximately 500 heads attached to the tree. The main shape is that of the tree, as even though there are no leaves on the tree the final piece is still in the shape of a tree; however there are smaller recurring shapes, mainly in the 500 round shapes heads, but there are also recurring lines and shapes in the branches of the trees. There isn’t a variety of textures in the work, the wood and soil feeling quite soft and smooth, with the heads also being quite smooth with slight bumps in the detail of the heads. I find the work quite satisfactory as a whole, but I feel the most pleasing parts of the work is in the detail of the small heads, yet I do not like the copper coloured metal used to attach the heads to the tree. I feel using the same kind of braches on the tree would have been a lot more satisfactory.

Solarium Series was made using fibreglass and resin, so Kher may have taken a mould from parts of the tree to give her something to work with and then added the smaller branches using her own imagination and logic. [Insert processes and tools making work here]. The work will most likely have begun in Kher’s studio where she will have made the small heads to be later attached to the trees which may have been made or finished in the gallery. Kher will have produced smaller studies before commencing work on the final piece, studies like drawings of what the final work would look like, and sketches of what the animal heads would look like. She may also have produced a smaller model of the tree to get an idea as to what the bigger version would look like. I feel the work will have evolved quite slowly as there will have been different stages to its completion, starting with making casts from trees, to producing the heads, to attaching the heads, to setting it up in the gallery to knocking one of the trees over. Kher will have needed skills in working with fibreglass and resin and skills in attaching the metal to the tree.

My first feelings when viewing this piece is confusion, as at first I initially thought the fleshy coloured heads on the trees were flesh coloured leaves. It wasn’t until I moved closer and around the piece that I realised they were heads of different animals. These feelings are similar to those when walking towards anything where the detail isn’t noticeable until viewed up close, except I felt more intrigued by the piece. Kher may have felt feelings of anger or sadness based on the issue behind the work, but she may also have been questioning the work she was producing and whether it represents what she wants, whether the viewer will enjoy to view it. The piece is quite noisy and disturbing when looking at the fallen tree that will have crashed against the floor, but other parts of the tree are quiet looking at the silent heads of the tree. For me the work evoked a mood of the moment; however I feel the work could directly affect viewers who have their own issues on animal testing and cloning, or may see the work and have feelings evoked linked to the environment and the cutting down of trees. Either way, I feel the emotions evoked from this piece are mainly sad, serious feelings making the work intriguing to view.