Beside the Lake, Beneath the Trees by Arushee Suri
Studio 10 Project Space
25 March - 3 May 2024

Beside the Lake, Beneath the Trees features a collection of surfaces, objects, and plants that stimulate our senses through touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing. In a world where rapid urbanisation frequently severs our ties to nature, sensory gardens offer a remedy for this disconnection - a sanctuary in which to reflect.

In this exhibition, I seek to engage our senses by transporting us into a therapeutic sanctuary. Vibrant flowers catch the eye while calming sounds resonate through the space. The earthy scent of soil blends with the feeling of leaves under the fingers. These physical and emotional encounters have the potential to trigger long-lost memories, like a portal to a specific time and place.

As humans, we move around the urban environment as sensory beings, observing many things through olfaction. Although we may not always be aware of it, our minds are constantly registering an array of sounds and smells, each leaving a memory which cannot always be grasped. Upon hearing the same sound or inhaling the same scent again, these memories are reinvigorated, bringing with them a sense of nostalgia.

Sometimes I gather objects or pieces of memories from the places I visit, creating art using fragments of these recollections. I investigate the impact that my surroundings and the people I meet have on me, and explore how these experiences shape my memories. By drawing on encounters from daily life, I seek to invite the viewer to actively interact with my work on an emotional, empathetic or just simply human level.

Communicating with the audience is an important part of my practice. In order to create this sensory experience, I have used porcelain, beads and foliage from different parks in London and India, as well as various essential oils and sounds. I have also used serigraphs that I created during my residency at the East London Printmakers in 2023.

Artist Biography

Arushee Suri received an MFA from Central Saint Martins, UAL, London and a BFA from College of Art, New Delhi India. She is an artist and educator who has taught printmaking to underprivileged adults in New Delhi and learning-disabled young adults in London. In 2018 and 2019, she mentored residencies for the Printmaking Foundation of India.

Arushee’s interactive installations, paintings, drawings, embroideries, and sculptures have been presented in group shows and museum exhibitions in the UK, India, Singapore, Italy, US, and Greece. Exhibition venues include: India Art Fair, New Delhi; Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art, Mumbai; Mall Galleries, London; Art Pavilion, London; Gallery Rosenfeld, London; Gillman Barracks, Singapore; State Museum of Contemporary Art, Greece; Matts Gallery, London; New Art Exchange, Nottingham, OXO Tower, London.

Arushee has work in permanent collections at the State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece; Gallery Rosenfeld, London; Printmaking Foundation of India, India; Brooklyn Art Library, USA; East London Printmakers, London. Arushee was selected for the East London Printmakers Residency in 2023 and has recently been shortlisted for the Emerging Artist Award South Asia by The Arts Family, London.

See more of Arushee's work here: Arushee Suri I Artist

Image courtesy of the artist