On view July 16-November 27, 2016 at the Crow Museum of Asian Art

Abhidnya Ghuge’s Flight of the Canyon is a site-responsive installation created with thousands of woodblock-printed paper plates inspired by organic patterns found in nature.

The artist first draws and carves designs like those used in henna body painting on woodblocks for printing onto paper plates. She then blends archival oil-based ink directly on the woodblock, varying the thickness of the pigment on each block in order to create expressive patterns that vary with each impression. The block-printed paper plates are then coated on both sides with acrylic polymer for longevity. No longer disposable, each plate is now transformed and imprinted with life.  

Hung precariously overhead, the plates create a physically and psychologically altered space that forces viewers to contemplate the brevity of the medium and the uncontrollable passage of time, as the plates and inks naturally fade and disintegrate. Ultimately, Flight of the Canyon is a visual expression of the power, value, and fragility of each human life.

Abhidnya Ghuge: Flight of the Canyon is organized by the Crow Museum of Asian Art and curated by Jacqueline Chao.

Exhibition website

Header Image: Portrait of Abhidnya Ghuge in front of her installation. Photo by Turk Studio. Abhidnya Ghuge, Flight Of The Canyon, No. 2, 2016. Woodblock printed paper plates, acrylic polymer, paint, wire armature. Collection of the Artist.

Installation photography by Chad Redmon, Courtesy of the Crow Museum of Asian Art. Artist Interview and video produced by Suzanne Oshinsky, commissioned by the Crow Museum of Asian Art.