AGNIJA, Born of Fire, 2023

Inspired by the cathedral-like termite mounds frequently seen throughout Southern India, artist Ashwini Bhat was invited to create this hybrid, biomorphic sculpture using local wild clay as a part of Firefest 2023 at Starworks, in North Carolina. 

To this day in Southern India, the termite mounds, which have chimney-like structures resembling ancient pottery kilns, are worshipped as the dwellings of the serpent deities. In this process, the termite mounds themselves become the sacred shrines. After conceiving and then building this form in situ over a period of seven days, Bhat glazed the piece, and then constructed a wood-burning kiln around it to create the finished ceramic work. The result is a playful melding of the natural with the symbolic and iconic, in a sculpture that also references the kiln-firing process itself.  

For Bhat, this project emerges from her long-term contemplation of the interdependency of species. AGNIJA models a collective architecture, a play of materiality and form, generating dialogues about culture, community, climate change, and species mutuality. AGNIJA also invites viewers to consider what it is that we come to call sacred or profane. 

A short video about the creation of this work is below.

AGNIJA, Born of Fire is displayed on the upper Great Lawn under the magnolia tree.