In the Deccan scrublands, Sandilya Theuerkauf finds his muses and material in thorns, wood, and bark. With these natural materials, he creates complex intricate assemblages— unique tapestries woven thickly with thorns or carefully laden with bark. ...Bringing into focus these often concealed and usually unnoticed elements of the natural world, Theuerkauf expertly ornaments his found material into startlingly astute patterns, allowing their natural properties— sometimes brittle, sometimes hardy, sometimes decayed— to find their place on their wooden mounts. For Theuerkauf, it is crucial to give importance to the plants that he works with and the space they come from, honouring the material and the landscapes that shaped them. Having grown up in rural Kerala, in the presence of a hilly rainforest, its streams and wildlife, the artist’s biggest impressions in life are drawn from that world.

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