Sinta Tantra’s sculptures discover a historic house at Pitzhanger Manor, UK

Sinta Tantra’s geometric work, drawings and sculptures are the topic of the newest exhibition, ‘The Gentle Membership of Batavia’, at Sir John Soane’s nation retreat, Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing, the place the artist has put in her large- and small-scale works all through the historic home.

Taking inspiration from a 1912 novel, the British artist of Balinese descent has mixed present work with newly commissioned items that play into Soane’s signature use of sunshine in his structure. ‘His use of glazed home windows and framed arches sculpt the sunshine so fantastically, particularly right here at Pitzhanger, an area the place mild is each celebrated and loved,’ Tantra explains.

Utilizing Prussian blue, gold and brass, Tantra has exploited the play of sunshine within the manor, her botanical abstractions creating a gorgeous atmosphere in dialogue with the drama of the area. The title of the exhibition is taken from a novel by Paul Scheerbart, Batavia being the colonial title for the Indonesian capital Jakarta, throughout Dutch Rule. 

‘In my observe, being Balinese and an Indonesian, I am desirous about exploring historical past via a post-colonial lens. Wanting on the darker aspect of what might initially be seen as stunning and fascinating,’ she says. ‘Central to this exhibition, the gold leaf symbolises common magnificence, magnificence all through the ages – a celebration of sunshine, color, and constructive vitality. And but, it’s also linked to energy, self-importance, and extraction – a price to each human lives and the ecology of the earth, people plundering this restricted useful resource.’