Despite the fact that artist Ranjani Shettar feels that her work “has nothing to do with religion or culture”, it is clear that pieces such as “Just a Bit More” are heavily influenced by her Indian heritage. Recently featured as part of the Carnegie’s International exhibit, “Just a Bit More” is a unique interpretation of the show’s cryptic name “Life on Mars”. Consistent with the show’s theme, the piece provides a unique perspective of what life on earth is really like. As it attempts to answer the show’s central question of what human life would look like to strangers, “Just a Bit More” draws inspiration from a variety of Indian traditions, such as the Hindu myth of “Net of Indra” and the former colony’s cotton industry. From the materials to the design, “Just a Bit More” is clearly shaped by Shettar’s distinct cultural outlook.

“Just a Bit More” is a captivating piece. Made of hand woven cotton thread, it is reminiscent of an ethereal net hung loosely from one end of the gallery to the other. As it floats in the air, the viewer is immediately entranced by the intricacy of its web as it forms silken funnels that bottom out, collapsing into the vast emptiness that seems to consume the entire piece. Further adding to its surreal ambiance is the light blue coloring of the tiny wax beads placed at each juncture of the colossal grid. The piece is made all the more vast by the immensity of its detail, which provides stark contrast to the massive piece as a whole.

The structure of “Just a Bit More” is loosely modeled after the Net of Indra, a Buddhist symbol. The net of legend is said to have belonged to the great god Indra who had it hung “in such a manner that it stretches out infinitely in all directions”. On the net’s every node was hung “a single glittering jewel”, each of which reflected the brilliance of all the others along the net’s infinite span. Knowing the story of the mythical net it is easy to see its profound influence on Shettar’s work. For example the bees-wax balls of “Just a Bit More” represent the jewels of Indra’s net. However, beyond the sheer physical similarities lie deeper, symbolic connections. In the Buddhist religion, the Net of Indra is used as an allegory to teach the interconnectedness of nature as well as to show the dependence of the individual to the whole, for without the other jewels to reflect, each single jewel would lose its brilliance. Shettar uses the symbolism and meaning behind the Buddhist parable to convey her own view of the universe. Shettar then uses this subtle connection to emphasize the importance and fragility of everyday, human relationships and connections. In the spirit of the “Life on Mars” exhibit, where strangers to explore our society, they would find a human network of emotional connections that held together all of humanity.

Upon further analysis, meaning, and the inevitable connection to Indian culture and history, can even be found in the artist’s materials. The cotton threads that make up the bulk of this expansive complex have meaningful connections to the Indian independence movement from imperialist Britain in the mid-1900s. The great pacifist and leader of the independence movement, Mohandas Gandhi had at the time called upon the Indian people to weave their own thread and make their own clothes as a means of reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign goods. So deep was this movement’s impact that even to this day, most politicians only wear clothes made of handspun, khadi cloth. The flag of India also remains a tribute to Gandhi’s determination as it is manufactured using only genuine khadi thread.

It cannot be said that “Just a Bit More” is entirely free of the influence of its creator’s culture, as Shettar may have intended. However, such inspiration only adds to the piece, helping to clarify the artist’s message and define their work. An artist’s culture is at times so engrained that one cannot help but be guided by it. While it may be true that “it’s not the culture” but rather “the life that keeps (Ranjani Shettar’s) work going”, it is clear that in pieces such as “Just a Bit More”, her Indian heritage plays an indispensable role as well.

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The life on Mars Exhibition is a very interesting mix of talented modern artist. The pieces, ranging from paintings to movies to sculptures, all of their own sense of style and reason. Some pieces that are very thought provocing were Thomas Hirschhorn's "Cavamanman", Friedrech Kunath's "Untitled" pieces, and all of Ryan Gander's pieces. The innovative "Cavemanman" is really a blast to walk through. Made entirely of cardboard, tape, and plywood, this "cave" has some interesting ideas on human life today. Friedrech Kunath's aesthetically pleasing brightly colored pieces will attract your attention right away. But even after you are drawn to them naturally, will you still love them, with their meaningful quotes and simplicity. Lastly, Ryan Gander's piece are not what you would call a conventional piece of art work. Between videos of a man on a bridge, crystal balls thrown out on the floor, and an invisible piece in the conrner of a hall way, his pieces his pieces are all mystical and thought provocing.

The piece I wrote my podcast about was a piece that really caught my attention. I don't know why this piece out of all of the others captured my attention and thoughts so much but it did. It might have been the colors or lack there of. The painting was an oil painting that depicted a solar eclipse. Or at least i thought it did, but the only difference in this painting was that the eclipse was set at night with a black background. One might think how could you see an eclipse that is black on a black background? The way you could was because of all of the colors of the rainbow that were shooting out from behind it. The sphere was encased in all of the colors of the rainbow and they almost drifted out from behind it. Like I said before i really don't know the exact reason behind my instant like of this piece but i do know that i will remember it for some time to come.