Prime’s sculptures appear to be strange hybrids of the past and the future. Constructed entirely of recycled and industrial materials, they mimic an architectural presence while also alluding to the myriad types of constructions that humans send out into space. Most of them are slender and vertical, whether free-standing or wall-mounted, and the artist refers to them as “dystopian tower structures.” Many of the works are electrified and the addition of lights brings both a functional and a ghostly aspect to the works. The roots of these works can be traced to experiments with science and technology by artists of the 1960s (spearheaded by Robert Rauschenberg) as well as the Fluxus Movement.

Four paintings are included in the exhibition. These replicate, in both materials and design, the walls of homes found in rural Maharashtra. Aggressive in their simplicity, each painting consists of two solid colors divided by a band of aluminum. An unlikely bridge is created between a history of minimal art in the Western World and the innocent expressions of the vernacular Indian populace. Five photographic works are also included in the exhibition. These portray debris partially buried in the wet sand of the Maharashtra coast. While both elegant and macabre, they speak of environmental degradation but also nature’s strength to resist man’s blunders.

Mark Prime was born in Norwich, UK, in 1963 and has lived in Mumbai, India since 2005. He held his first solo show with Nature Morte in Berlin in 2013 and has since had solo exhibitions at Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai (2016, 2020); Vis-a-Vis, New Delhi (2018); VHC Gallery, Pune (2023). Notable group presentations include the second edition of the Sculpture Park, Madhavendra Palace, Nahargarh Fort and the exhibition ‘When is Space’ at Jawahar Kala Kendra, both Jaipur, 2018. Prime’s interdisciplinary practice draws, both conceptually and materially, from the environments of the factory, the beach, and a longstanding engagement with music.

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