LONDON.- Mumbai-based designer and artist Ashiesh Shah presents Taamr, his first solo exhibition in the UK, showing a new body of works anchored by copper as both a material and an idea. On view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London, the exhibition features sculptures woven, held or structured in copper that reflect current explorations of form, material and concept by a pioneering contemporary designer.
Informed by tastes that span centuries and continents, Shah’s practice integrates long-held traditions with a contemporary visual and sculptural language, combining aesthetics rooted principles of simplicity with a commitment to the revival of Indian crafts. Empowering the karigar (artisan), Shah works alongside craftspeople from across India to create work that honours their artisanship – whether longpi pottery from Manipur, channapatna toys from Karnataka or dhokra metalwork from Chattisgarh – with contemporary flair.
In the designer’s new works, taamr (Sanskrit for copper) is imagined as a symbol of transformation. Rooted in history and shaped by the present, the material is never frozen in its most pristine state but allowed to transfigure, deepen and evolve. Familiar yet restless, copper responds to air, time and touch, carrying traces of movement, use and change.
Shah’s examination of the material manifests in works that gravitate towards geometry and materiality. Brahmand Cabinet features antique copper pots resting on a black granite base, in tribute to the timeless metal vessels – historically central to nourishment and daily life – that have faded from modern kitchens. The sharp geometry of the granite contrasts with the soft, curved edges of the copper, resulting in a statement piece that gives new life to traditional silhouettes, blending old-world charm with contemporary functionality.
Other works further illustrate Shah’s engagement with Indian craft traditions. The hand-laid fragments of Mirror Mosaic Coffee Table echo the ornate beauty of Jadau and Kundan jewellery, with each mirrored piece cut, polished and placed to honour artisans who blend precision with intuition. Mirror mosaics also feature in the surfaces of Dveep Coffee Table, recalling Mumbai’s origin as an archipelago, while strands of hand-turned Channapatna beads link these reflective forms, spanning the gaps like causeways across water.
Pieces like Matka Mobile blend a futuristic character with handmade creativity. Inspired by cosmic, celestial movements, this hanging sculpture features hand-crafted matkas (earthen pots) as sun, moon and earth suspended in a slow orbital rhythm. The vessels also feature in Makta Mirror – in deconstructed, elongated form, with mirror fragments arranged across its surface to resemble waves in motion. Craft and cosmology converge in these works, turning traditional pottery into a contemporary constellation.
The exhibition highlights the symbolic power of copper to open us to what is to come. Just as the Copper Age reshaped how humans built and progressed, Taamr marks a moment of shift for Shah, who sees novelty as witnessing the familiar with fresh clarity. Through the unique qualities of this metal, the designer’s new works explore questions of modernity, memory and heritage.
