A symbol of regeneration and resilience, the calla lily is a recurring motif for the Mumbai-born Ashwini Bhat, who now lives and works in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain in the North Bay. “What Will It Take / For Us To Awake?” (2024), which consists of a bronze bell shaped like a calla lily and an accompanying patinated-steel installation, was commissioned by the Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India (SACHI) for the Asian Art Museum in the City Hall area of SF. Originally made as a reminder of the California fire season, this bell — which museum visitors can toll — suggests a wake-up call that resonates ever more loudly as the SoCal fires continue to rage. The installation is swathed in light, making it feel like you’re in the glass enclosure of a hothouse, a feeling deepened by the fact that it can be seen by passersby in the surrounding busy Civic Center neighborhood through the window.
What to See in San Francisco Art Week
Natasha Boas, Hyperallergic, January 16, 2025
