RAJ SHAHANI

URVASHI

Urvashi in the Tribhanga pose carries a mirror that holds her beauty. Made in cardboard recycled from industrial waste and stuffed with newspaper she is beauty in its most temporal and fragile form. Urvashi is the most beautiful apsara and the one who experts in dance in the court of Indira in heaven.

Urvashi in the Tribhanga pose carries a mirror that holds her beauty. Made in cardboard recycled from industrial waste and stuffed with newspaper she is beauty in its most temporal and fragile form.

Urvashi is the most beautiful apsara and the one who experts in dance in the court of Indira in heaven.

Recycled Cardboard,

6 ft

Recycled Cardboard,

6 ft

Recycled Cardboard,

6 ft

SAKSHI

Sakshi or ‘Witness’ is an image drawn from the Metropolitan Museumís Indian collection is an Apsara who witnesses the destruction of herself. This statue was the first of his series that he saw in New York and began contemplating his journey of restoring and repairing these stone sculptures.

NEELIMA

Neelima is a statue who holds the hue blue and is fragmented with a torso that is matt black using stone ware ceramic and lower bad that has been decorated with the Gita Govinda in the Mandhubani style of painting

Iron & Steel Grid,

Fragmented Stone Wear,

Glazed Madhubai Painting,

6.5 ft x 3 ft

Iron & Steel Grid,

Fragmented Stone Wear,

Glazed Madhubai Painting,

6.5 ft x 3 ft

Iron & Steel Grid,

Fragmented Stone Wear,

Glazed Madhubai Painting,

6.5 ft x 3 ft

RASIKA

Destruction in the digital age is pixilation. Earlier they would break. Rasika is one who seduces, a tyranny she is burdened with because of her beauty.

Rescued Multiple pieces of different Wood,

3ft

Rescued Multiple pieces of different Wood, 3ft

Kumbhini

Kumbhini or one with the womb, is the mother, motherhood when is expected is a burden when enjoyed as an act of love and procreation willingly it is the most beautiful adorned by a woman.

Rescued Multiple pieces of different Wood,

3ft

Rescued Multiple pieces of different Wood, 3ft

Rescued Multiple pieces

of different Wood, 3ft

CHAND

Chand denoting the moon, is a sculpture that mirrors the beauty of the moon, across lore in India, the moon holds a romantic symbol but also denotes wanting and the meeting of lovers. The brass limbs were fashioned after finding the marble in torso in the yard of a Delhi interior designer from where a series of sculptures emerged. Chand can also be oppressive as a form of beauty where fairness in skin is prized.

Marble and Brass,

6 ft

Marble and Brass,

6 ft

Marble and Brass,

6 ft

PURNIMA

Purnima or the full moon is red sand stone sculpture completed using brass. The full moon is a symbol of fertility and beauty. The statue here holds a mirror to see herself and flowers in the other. She is adorned by an arch of vines that announce her as the princess.

Red Sandstone and Brass,

4 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

4 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

4 ft

SHILPI

Shilpi of the one who is sculpted using faux granite in resin and completed using mother of pearls. Granite is a stone that is known for its strength and rigor. Mother of Pearls are delicate and their inlay intricate. This juxtaposition of opposing quality is apt for a sculpture named ‘Shilpi’ which translates to ‘One who is Sculpted’. Shilp in Sanskrit means sculpture.

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

5 ft

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

5 ft

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

5 ft

MAYA

MAYA(2023)

Maya is illusion in Buddhist philosophy. Apsaras were as divine beings from Devaloka

or the realms of the Gods who were present illusion in the perfect form to mortal humans. Buddhism asks us to shatter illusions as Maya is the reason of continuous suffering.

Here she is fragmented in three parts and thus named Maya. Terracotta is fragile like our illusions of beauty, which easily slip away with age and illness.

Maya is illusion in Buddhist philosophy. Apsaras were as divine beings from Devaloka

or the realms of the Gods who were present illusion in the perfect form to mortal humans. Buddhism asks us to shatter illusions as Maya is the reason of continuous suffering.

Here she is fragmented in three parts and thus named Maya. Terracotta is fragile like our illusions of beauty, which easily slip away with age and illness.

Maya is illusion in Buddhist philosophy. Apsaras were as divine beings from Devaloka or the realms of the Gods who were present illusion in the perfect form to mortal humans. Buddhism asks us to shatter illusions as Maya is the reason of continuous suffering. Here she is fragmented in three parts and thus named Maya. Terracotta is fragile like our illusions of beauty, which easily slip away with age and illness.

Maya is illusion in Buddhist philosophy. Apsaras were as divine beings from Devaloka

or the realms of the Gods who were present illusion in the perfect form to mortal humans. Buddhism asks us to shatter illusions as Maya is the reason of continuous suffering.

Here she is fragmented in three parts and thus named Maya. Terracotta is fragile like our illusions of beauty, which easily slip away with age and illness.

Maya is illusion in Buddhist philosophy. Apsaras were as divine beings from Devaloka

or the realms of the Gods who were present illusion in the perfect form to mortal humans. Buddhism asks us to shatter illusions as Maya is the reason of continuous suffering.

Here she is fragmented in three parts and thus named Maya. Terracotta is fragile like our illusions of beauty, which easily slip away with age and illness.

Terracotta and Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

Terracotta and Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

Terracotta and Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

GOPALI

Gopali or the one of Krishna is a statue that stands on iron rods. She is one of Krishna or Gopal - the cowherd who is Radha. Radha to be with Krishna could never do so with easy despite her beauty. Using glazed terracotta Raj etches onto her skin one of his poems translated in Sanskrit.

Glazed Terracotta and Iron Rods,

5 ft

Glazed Terracotta and Iron Rods,

5 ft

Glazed Terracotta and Iron Rods,

5 ft

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

Who do I see when I look at you?

How do you see me?

I am what you want me to be.

I can be a Goddess!

I can be Destroyed!

I can be celebrated!

I am worldly, I am divine,

but I cannot be defined,

I cannot be described,

in my emptiness I am all,

being all, I am nothing!

A mirror,

I reflect you in your naked truth.

SHAKUNTLA

Shakuntla is the heroine of Kalidasaís epic Abhijanshakuntlam of love gone astray, lost and recovered, Dushyant is away but not lost. Epic love is always painful and Shakuntla here is pierced by rods, fragmented and fragile in ceramic but held together by the chords of love that are as sturdy as steel.

Stoneware Ceramic, Iron Rods,

Steel Frame,

3.5 ft

Stoneware Ceramic, Iron Rods,

Steel Frame,

3.5 ft

Stoneware Ceramic, Iron Rods,

Steel Frame,

3.5 ft

MEGHA

Megha or the clouds in Sanskrit, is a fragmented statue in stone standing tall with the aid of an iron armature. She seems to grow out of the iron rods, she represents the mind clouded with pain and trauma, lost in its cloud of thoughts but still present in this world promising life in the form of rain.

Granite with Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

Granite with Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

Granite with Iron Armature,

5.5 ft

SHIRA

Shira means music and singing in Hebrew, itís a beautiful tune, here the statue is the princess of Poetry, in Indian sculpture the dance forms were accompanied by Ragas or poetry. Here her stone head and legs are held together by a brass torso allowing her to dance again.

Red Sandstone with Brass,

5 ft

Red Sandstone with Brass,

5 ft

Red Sandstone with Brass,

5 ft

MOHINI

Mohini is the Hindu goddess of enchantment and the only avatar of Vishnu. Moh is also attachment, here the statue is caged in its own beauty suffering the consequences of her seduction and the gaze that falls upon her. Refusing enchantment is now her strength as enchanting someone was her weapon earlier. Rajís poem sits etched here.

Glaze Terracotta with Iron Armature,

4.5 ft

Glaze Terracotta with Iron Armature,

4.5 ft

Glaze Terracotta with Iron Armature,

4.5 ft

Glaze Terracotta with Iron Armature,

4.5 ft

SAPNA

The piece de resistance of the show is a Statue in dream form, she is mediation and has a halo, like a female Buddha. She embodies all the other statues their truths, paradoxes and illusions. Sapna or the dream reminds us of how beauty is illusionary. Repaired using brass it alludes to the Zen Buddhist aspiration of finding beauty in imperfection.

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

HOOR

Hoor in Arabic means beautiful, as emblematic she is of beauty, she is also of gentle poise, she is in the sitting posture and is seen admiring herself in dance as well as caressing her breast. Self-love and positive narcissism she holds all the beauty every woman holds.

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3.5 ft x 3 ft

VAHINI

Vahini or River is a broken statue in stone that remains fragmented despite the iron armature. The rivers of India despite their deitification as Goddesses and deep cultural veneration remain polluted and dammed through a series of human made obstructions making their water impure. In a country of dying rivers we give many names of veneration and beauty but forget to respect them. We pray to goddesses but cause harm to our women. A society of clear paradox.`

Granite Stone and Iron,

3 ft x 2 ft

Granite Stone and Iron,

3 ft x 2 ft

Granite Stone and Iron,

3 ft x 2 ft

MADHVI

Madhvi - brings prosperity and sweetness through her honesty, her walk is gentle to the music of anklets, she is complete with her halo of fruit laden tree that emerges out of her hands. She is the preserver and the mother Earth - Pachamama.

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3ft x 2ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3ft x 2ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

3ft x 2ft

MANEKA

She stands tall, entices and holds your gaze, she is in dance form and is complete. The most mesmerizing apsara who is intelligent, and spontaneous in her ways, she keeps us captivated and in joy. Using the gray of granite she is completed by blue mother pearl, the rarest of pearls.

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

6 ft

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

6 ft

Faux Grey Granite in resin with

Inlaid Mother of Pearl,

6 ft

AMRITA

Amrita is a solemn beauty, she holds immense courage and emerges beautiful after circumstance and situation tears her apart, she is immortal in her beauty, she is the nectar for life, a deathless spirit and eternal who is super consciousness and one who attains her goals. She is all the paradoxes, the beauties and the eternal truths.

Red Sandstone and Brass,

5.5 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

5.5 ft

Red Sandstone and Brass,

5.5 ft

TILOTAMA

She is an apsara who holds a ultimate beauty in her fragmented parts, one who is composed of the finest particles of beauty, she is sculpted by the divine architect Vishwakarma. Her undoing is what Raj repairs.

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6 ft

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6 ft

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6 ft

AHILYA

Ahilya is one who is not ugly, she stands her in the dance form, Raj has sculpted her in stone and completed her in brass from the reference of the statue at the Metropolitan Museum, New York. She is proud, confident and happy in dance and gesture.

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6.5 ft

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6.5 ft

Grey Granite Stone and Brass,

6.5 ft

MANSI

Mansi is the voice of ones heart she stretches out her body in happiness and splendour, she is sure of who she is in her form and this forms a delight in her presence. She holds you gaze but does not return it. The brass on the pink stone embellishes and decorates.

Pink Stone and Brass,

6 ft

Pink Stone and Brass,

6 ft

Pink Stone and Brass,

6 ft

MANJULA

Raj builds an Apsaraís body from an intricate amalgamation of wooden fragments to denote the melodies of the Ragas in Indian Classical Music and the notes of instrumental music to which the Apsaraís danced. Manjula in Sanskrit means melodies of beauty and delight.

Intricate Pixelated Wood,

6 ft

Intricate Pixelated Wood,

6 ft

Intricate Pixelated Wood,

6 ft

OLD FIRES

KEEP BURNING

Raj Shahani's artistic voyage navigates the intricate dance between fantasy and fear. From childhood sketches as a refuge from dyslexia and ADHD to his mature sculptures, Shahani's work delves deep into the realms of self-discovery and identity. Inspired by celestial beings and childhood daydreams, his art blurs the boundaries of reality and imagination, spanning diverse mediums from bronze to paper.

Returning to Bombay in 2021, Shahani embarked on a mission to resurrect abandoned statues, infusing them with new life through precious metals. At the Jehangir Art Gallery in 2023, he unveiled his masterpieces, each sculpture reflecting his multifaceted identity as an artist and eternal seeker of love and belonging. Through his art, Shahani invites us to confront our own fantasies and fears, reminding us that within the realm of imagination lies the essence of our humanity.

I wonder if my words hold

- the many stories I am here to tell.

In Untold and Unseen

aquifers of the mind.

Old Fires Keep on Burning.

Telling us of who we are.

Our loves are reflections

of who we are.

Someone I waited out to love.

Struck in stone , stuck incomplete.

Hopefully unnecessary...

In hope ?

Bronze arms

Too heavy to cede,

Glass legs

Unable to hold.

There again here we go -

I have a story to tell.

Old Fires Keep on Burning!

I wonder if my words hold

- the many stories I am here to tell.

In Untold and Unseen

aquifers of the mind.

Old Fires Keep on Burning.

Telling us of who we are.

Our loves are reflections

of who we are.

Someone I waited out to love.

Struck in stone , stuck incomplete.

Hopefully unnecessary...

In hope ?

Bronze arms

Too heavy to cede,

Glass legs

Unable to hold.

There again here we go -

I have a story to tell.

Old Fires Keep on Burning!

I wonder if my words hold

- the many stories I am here to tell.

In Untold and Unseen

aquifers of the mind.

Old Fires Keep on Burning.

Telling us of who we are.

Our loves are reflections

of who we are.

Someone I waited out to love.

Struck in stone , stuck incomplete.

Hopefully unnecessary...

In hope ?

Bronze arms

Too heavy to cede,

Glass legs

Unable to hold.

There again here we go -

I have a story to tell.

Old Fires Keep on Burning!

I wonder if my words hold

- the many stories I am here to tell.

In Untold and Unseen

aquifers of the mind.

Old Fires Keep on Burning.

Telling us of who we are.

Our loves are reflections

of who we are.

Someone I waited out to love.

Struck in stone , stuck incomplete.

Hopefully unnecessary...

In hope ?

Bronze arms

Too heavy to cede,

Glass legs

Unable to hold.

There again here we go -

I have a story to tell.

Old Fires Keep on Burning!

I wonder if my words hold

- the many stories I am here to tell.

In Untold and Unseen

aquifers of the mind.

Old Fires Keep on Burning.

Telling us of who we are.

Our loves are reflections

of who we are.

Someone I waited out to love.

Struck in stone , stuck incomplete.

Hopefully unnecessary...

In hope ?

Bronze arms

Too heavy to cede,

Glass legs

Unable to hold.

There again here we go -

I have a story to tell.

Old Fires Keep on Burning!

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