Sreshta Rit Premnath: Overbody

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Usdan Gallery presents Overbody, a solo exhibition by Sreshta Rit Premnath. In this new series of sculptures and paintings, Premnath introduces the concept of the “overbody”—a coercive force that shapes and disciplines the body.

Sculptures on view expand on Premnath’s ongoing use of “slumps”— figure-like forms that prop, push, and twist as they resist or succumb to forces that pull them down. Influenced by architect Kisho Kurokawa’s notion of “Rikyu grey” and the philosophy of Butoh, the waxy surfaces of these new sculptures evoke a corpse-like stillness while their precarious postures and layered surfaces enliven them.

Also on view is Procession, a new series of vertical ink paintings in which shadowy forms, extending below dense black fields, hover between figuration and abstraction. Here, the “overbody” emerges as an enveloping, negative presence—at once oppressive and charged with potential.

Instagram: @usdangallerybennington @ritpremnath