Alwar Bala­subramaniam at the Venice Biennale that opens on May 9 (Alwar Balasubramaniam and Talwar Gallery, New York | New Delhi) I nside a medieval warehouse at the historic Arsenale — located along the Venetian lagoon — one of the walls holds an oval form of earth and resin with cracked surfaces that appear fragile and primordial. The fissured terrain emerges from artist Alwar Balasubramaniam’s lived environment, away from the urban bustle, in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli. The intricate patterns themselves are the result of an intensive process that evolved over four-five months under his vigilance and reflects his preoccupation with the relationship between man and nature. At the Arsenale, it also appears to establishes a dialogue between the historic warehouse, elemental materiality and the notion of home as it represents India at its National Pavilion for the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9.…