"Forgotten Places of Beings and Things" by Hari & Deepti Closing Reception
Meet the artists Hari & Deepti during our closing reception.
Forgotten Places of Beings and Things highlights Hari & Deepti’s experimentation with paper, light, and depth, tools they explore through their own narrative lens. Their process began in 2010 by using cut shadow boxes and hand painted watercolor paper, assembled in wooden boxes to create dioramas. With years of practice, their art has become more intricate and minimal at the same time. They started experimenting with lights and simplified their pieces by removing the colored aspect of the paper. They have since evolved their own style, incorporating back-lit light boxes using flexible LED strip lights.
They hold incredible reverence for their principal medium: “What amazes us about the paper cut light boxes is the dichotomy of these pieces in their lit and unlit states, the contrast is so stark that it has this mystical effect on the viewers.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
Forgotten Places of Beings and Things explores our journey back to our roots and reflects on our experiences through a faded nostalgic lens. This creative process prompts us to revisit certain objects and locations from our past which may appear transformed over time. While memories get warped we find inspiration in these blurred recollections of stories and anecdotes. This led us to sift through our belongings - things that have been passed on through various generations, our old sketchbooks, travelogues, drawings and Polaroids. We grappled with these hazy recollections to capture them and fill the gaps with our imagination. This is our attempt to capture the essence of who we are, our heritage and the places that we have called home and different versions of respective beings we continue to evolve into.
ARTIST BIO
Hari & Deepti are a Mumbai-based husband and wife artist duo who create works that are a Pandora’s box full of stories and imagination that they bring to life through their intricate paper cut light boxes and paper clay sculptures. They have always been drawn towards the imaginative aspect of storytelling. Stories have so many shades and depth in them, and paper as a medium has the exact qualities to reflect and interpret them. They believe that “Paper is brutal in its simplicity as a medium. It demands the attention of the artist while it provides the softness they need to mold it into something beautiful. It is playful, light, colorless and colorful. It is minimal and intricate. It reflects light, creates depth and illusions in a way that it takes the artist through a journey with limitless possibilities.”
Closing Reception Details
When: Thursday, January 23rd, 5-8pm
Where: Heron Arts, 7 Heron St.
Exhibition Dates: Dec. 20th - Jan. 25th, 2025
Gallery Hours: By Appointment Only
About Heron Arts
Heron Arts was founded in 2013 by Mark Slee, an active member of San Francisco's creative community, organizing events since the mid-2000s. He is joined in 2015 by director Tova Lobatz, who is pursuing ambitious programming that encompasses installations and experiential, interactive environments, alongside traditional gallery exhibitions. Collectively they hope to provide San Francisco with a fresh outlook on contemporary beauty in the arts.
Meet the artists Hari & Deepti during our closing reception.
Forgotten Places of Beings and Things highlights Hari & Deepti’s experimentation with paper, light, and depth, tools they explore through their own narrative lens. Their process began in 2010 by using cut shadow boxes and hand painted watercolor paper, assembled in wooden boxes to create dioramas. With years of practice, their art has become more intricate and minimal at the same time. They started experimenting with lights and simplified their pieces by removing the colored aspect of the paper. They have since evolved their own style, incorporating back-lit light boxes using flexible LED strip lights.
They hold incredible reverence for their principal medium: “What amazes us about the paper cut light boxes is the dichotomy of these pieces in their lit and unlit states, the contrast is so stark that it has this mystical effect on the viewers.”
ARTIST STATEMENT
Forgotten Places of Beings and Things explores our journey back to our roots and reflects on our experiences through a faded nostalgic lens. This creative process prompts us to revisit certain objects and locations from our past which may appear transformed over time. While memories get warped we find inspiration in these blurred recollections of stories and anecdotes. This led us to sift through our belongings - things that have been passed on through various generations, our old sketchbooks, travelogues, drawings and Polaroids. We grappled with these hazy recollections to capture them and fill the gaps with our imagination. This is our attempt to capture the essence of who we are, our heritage and the places that we have called home and different versions of respective beings we continue to evolve into.
ARTIST BIO
Hari & Deepti are a Mumbai-based husband and wife artist duo who create works that are a Pandora’s box full of stories and imagination that they bring to life through their intricate paper cut light boxes and paper clay sculptures. They have always been drawn towards the imaginative aspect of storytelling. Stories have so many shades and depth in them, and paper as a medium has the exact qualities to reflect and interpret them. They believe that “Paper is brutal in its simplicity as a medium. It demands the attention of the artist while it provides the softness they need to mold it into something beautiful. It is playful, light, colorless and colorful. It is minimal and intricate. It reflects light, creates depth and illusions in a way that it takes the artist through a journey with limitless possibilities.”
Closing Reception Details
When: Thursday, January 23rd, 5-8pm
Where: Heron Arts, 7 Heron St.
Exhibition Dates: Dec. 20th - Jan. 25th, 2025
Gallery Hours: By Appointment Only
About Heron Arts
Heron Arts was founded in 2013 by Mark Slee, an active member of San Francisco's creative community, organizing events since the mid-2000s. He is joined in 2015 by director Tova Lobatz, who is pursuing ambitious programming that encompasses installations and experiential, interactive environments, alongside traditional gallery exhibitions. Collectively they hope to provide San Francisco with a fresh outlook on contemporary beauty in the arts.