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A View of the Forest (work of art)

Artwork Info

Created
2011
Artist
Bharti Kher
Nationality
British
Birth/Death
Born 1969-
Dimensions
frame:
96 7/8 x 73 1/4 inches (246.1 x 186.1 centimeters)

Credit

Purchased with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes, the North Carolina Museum of Art Foundation in honor of Dr. and Mrs. James Semans, Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Wallace Oestreicher, and various donors, by exchange

Object Number
2013.1
Culture
British
Classification
Mixed Media
Department
Modern

Key Ideas

  • A View of the Forest is made up of thousands of felt bindis in three different shades of green. They are layered to create depth and a textile-like pattern. 
  • Bindi comes from the Sanskrit word bindu, meaning “drop” or “dot.” It is a colored dot or piece of jewelry worn in the center of the forehead, between the eyebrows, especially by Hindu women. 
  • Bindis are a visual symbol of the wearer’s third eye chakra. Hindus believe this to be an all-seeing seat of wisdom and knowledge.

Learn More

Bharti Kher is a British-Indian artist who creates paintings, sculptures, and mixed media art. She is known for her use of bindis in her art. A bindi is a traditional forehead decoration worn by women throughout Southeast Asia for religious, social, or fashion reasons. A View of the Forest is a mixed media artwork made up of thousands of felt bindis that have been applied to a painted board. The artist layered the bindis to create depth and arranged them into a variety of patterns.

Bindis are usually worn on the forehead, between the eyebrows. The bindi symbolizes the wearer’s spiritual third eye or ajna chakra. Hindus believe this to be an all-seeing seat of wisdom and knowledge. The third eye is believed to offer mystical intuition and insight, linking the spiritual and material worlds. This is an inner vision and enlightenment beyond what the physical eyes can see. Bindis were originally applied with natural pigments. Over time the bindi has become a popular, mass-produced accessory. The modern version of the bindi is a sticker.

In Kher’s work the bindi is linked to themes of repetition, the sacred and the ritual, and femininity (the quality of being feminine). Her work explores connections between Western and Indian art and culture.

Many people believe it’s a traditional symbol of marriage while others, in the West particularly, see it as a fashion accessory… But actually the bindi is meant to represent a third eye—one that forges a link between the real and the spiritual-conceptual worlds.

 

Bharti Kher

Additional Resources

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Images

  • A painted board covered with thousands of small, round stickers in different shades of green. The stickers are layered to create a variety of shapes and patterns.

    A View of the Forest