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A 15th period Naga Sapta Naadi coating formed of 7 serpentine lines represents the sevenfold divisions successful the beingness arsenic a cosmic stream of clip and reality. Another, of a Nag-Pash Yantra, is simply a geometric schema of 2 copulating serpents from Hindu spiritual practice. The Serpenti Infinito accumulation by Bvlgari successful Mumbai, curated by creation assemblage Nature Morte, offers a fascinating penetration into these and different symbols of the naga oregon serpent done the historical associations and creator traditions of India.
The naga, a timeless motif embodying extortion and renewal, has resonated crossed faiths and taste expressions successful India. But what does this symbolism person to bash with the Italian luxury manner house? Well, successful 1948, Bvlgari brought the mysticism of the ‘serpenti’ to the world, via its iconic jewellery and watches — a communicative it has continued to archer done cross-cultural exhibitions, events and practice dialogues crossed countries.
Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas successful Bvlgari’s Serpenti Maharani Secret necklace astatine the Serpenti Infinito accumulation successful Mumbai, October 1, 2025. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
This amusement marks Bvlgari’s India motorboat and presents implicit 75 works and 23 acclaimed artists successful an accumulation celebrating the ‘Serpenti’ icon. Like its Shanghai and Seoul editions celebrating the Chinese Year of the Snake, the India exhibition, drawn from organization and backstage collections, besides examines the symbiotic narration betwixt the serpent and history, creation and meaning.
The tableau of artworks is divers — from creator Radha Sollur and her awesome sculptural forms successful insubstantial to Turkish-American media creator Refik Anadol’s futuristic work, a fascinating 360-degree mirrored situation shaped by instrumentality learning algorithms trained connected earthy snake forms. Critically acclaimed Madhubani creator Baua Devi, 1 of the fewer Indian women who has shown astatine the Centre Pompidou, presents her serpent forms on with different notable artists specified arsenic Subodh Gupta, Reena Saini Kallat, Olivia Fraser and Rithika Merchant.
Enter Projects Asia’s Rattan Snake (left) and Subodh Gupta’s Infinite Sleeper, featuring bronze and brass utensils.
Serpenti Infinito has been enactment unneurotic by Nature Morte and Artistic Director Sean Anderson, who was formerly Associate Curator astatine New York’s MoMA and co-curator of the first-ever Qatar pavilion astatine Venice Biennale’s Exhibition of Architecture this year. Edited excerpts from a conversation:
Sean Anderson, curator of Serpenti Infinito in Mumbai, is Associate Professor successful Architecture astatine Cornell University. | Photo Credit: Chloe Burton-Green
How did the thought for a amusement astir nagas and creation travel about?
My ambition was to not isolate the representation of the naga oregon the serpent but deliberation astir it holistically — deliberation crossed clip and crossed assorted contexts of India, successful particular. Knowing that the naga has had a transcendental facet to it passim time, a spiritual significance, and a locality attached to it, I wanted to make an representation of the naga that embraces its multiplicity. And, of course, deliberation astir it with resonance wrong creator practices.
Protective goddess Manasa, the guardian deity against the perils of snakebite successful the dense mangroves of Eastern India jungles, executed successful the ample format Kalighat benignant by creator Kalam Patua.
The 108 Karanas of Natyashastra by R. Srinivasan and L. Rathakrishnan features 108 bronze sculptures of the deity of dance, Nataraja, depicting antithetic mudras that symbolise the naga.
What did it mean to conceptualise a themed accumulation connected Indian creation for an planetary jewellery brand?
Bvlgari had a circumstantial trajectory of however this accumulation could beryllium made based connected their earlier amusement successful Shanghai but I felt it was highly important that we not deliberation of the naga arsenic 1 singular conception and questioned whether we could marque an accumulation wherever the jewellery is not abstracted from the art. In India, the naga could beryllium representated with galore meanings, either arsenic an idiosyncratic oregon corporate representation oregon arsenic an creator expression. The accumulation looks astatine the past of the naga successful India done stories, narrative, spatially and done textures. I wanted an planetary jewellery marque to beryllium refracted done Indian art.
Adding to 11 pieces from the Bvlgari Heritage Collection, dating backmost to 1955, is the India variation of the precocious jewellery. Featured present is simply a Serpenti necklace with a cabochon sapphire stone.
It is absorbing that the amusement juxtaposes planetary jewellery with Indian art.
I felt it was important to nuance what the serpent successful Indian creation mightiness be, and besides that the creation not beryllium a backdrop for the jewellery. The accumulation aims astatine amplifying the jewellery and vice versa and is an accidental for reciprocity, to archer america thing astir ourselves. Representing India was nary casual task and determination was truthful overmuch to show. I wanted it to entreaty and talk to arsenic galore antithetic voices and constituencies arsenic possible.
Radha Sollur, a chittara artist, takes inspiration from her practice and ritual nagamandala drawings to marque these sculptural forms successful paper, a homage to the powerful symbolism of snakes.
What tin the visitant expect to see?
The accumulation has past art, humanities creation and works from modernism borrowed from museums, institutions and collectors. There are large, commissioned works similar the immersive enactment by Anadol. The non-Indian artists are shown due to the fact that determination is simply a precise beardown thematic narration with their art. Working with the curatorial position of uncovering artworks that woody with the taxable of serpents, I recovered a batch of resonance with localised artworks and wanted nary part betwixt indigenous, modern and modern creation — presumption that are utilized by creation historians to make antithetic forms of value.
Padma Shri Baua Devi’s Bal Basant (2005) is simply a bid successful the Bharni benignant of paintings from the Madhubani and Mithila districts of Bihar.
What are the breathtaking works successful determination for you?
They are each my favourites due to the fact that I chose them, but a find for maine was Baua Devi. She is an exceptional artist, a storyteller who makes exquisite paintings and drawings that are communicative successful operation and signifier and marque you realise that we are embedded successful worlds sometimes of our ain making and sometimes not. My anticipation for the visitant successful this accumulation is to acquisition the aggregate presents of Indian art.
Serpenti Infinito is connected presumption astatine Art House, NMACC, Mumbai, till October 17.
The interviewer is the founder-director of Eka Archiving Services.
