Arzan Khambatta

Arzan Khambatta was born in 1966 in Bombay. He discovered his artistic talents at an art class instructed by Anand Mohan Naik, at sculptor Adi Davierwala’s workshop. Encouraged by his parents, he started sculpting right after his 10th grade exams. Khambatta graduated with a BA in Architecture from Rachna Sansad Academy of Architecture and calls himself an architect by profession and a sculptor by choice. 

One of his initial sculptural methods was to scour streets, garages, and construction sites for scrap metal, collecting and welding them into works of art he aptly named ‘Scraptures’. What started off purely as a hobby became a desire to start transforming scraps to art, and slowly began to yield income when he sold his first piece in 1983. He held his first solo exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay in 1993.

Khambatta’s works are a result of his filing, bending, moulding, cutting, welding, and burning, and are dramatic in their impact: rivers of lava surging through charred valleys; flaming planets spiralling dizzily through space. He often uses the play of light and shadow to bring out the different moods of his work.

In 1995, Khambatta created his first public sculpture, ‘The Mughal,’ at Worli, Bombay, and in 1996, he stopped using scrap metal. He now sculpts from metal sheets, straps, rods, pipes, and various other twisted, beaten, and textured pieces, which give the work his desired effect. Currently, his works are found in corporate houses, hotels, and private collections around the world, and range from six inches to seventy feet in height. 

Besides sculpting, his interests also lie in filmmaking. His first film, titled ‘Decibels,’ is based on an altered view of noise pollution in our city. He also dabbles in a number of activities like designing props and sets for experimental plays, designing trophies, and imparting his craft and knowledge to children from all strata of society. 

Khambatta lives and works in Bombay.