Sun-sneezers blow light bubbles, 2008, steel, muslin and tamarind kernel powder

New art enters museum collections in a variety of ways. At the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, one method is interactive. Patrons who join the Modern’s Director’s Council select one work for purchase from each of the museum’s three annual “FOCUS” shows. Each exhibition features a small number of pieces by an up-and-coming international artist.

The first FOCUS show of the 2008-09 season opens Sunday with five installations by 31-year-old Indian artist Ranjani Shettar. Shettar is a fascinating combination of traditionalist and modernist. She uses natural materials like beeswax and tamarind kernels as well as recycled items such as the steel from junked cars to create forms that defy their origins. For example, metal is made to look like handwoven baskets. Here’s a look at the Bangalore-based artist from inside her native country.

Admission to the museum is free on Sundays through Jan. 4 and always on Wednesdays.

FOCUS: Ranjani Shettar is on display through Feb. 8.

Me, No, Not Me, Buy Me, Eat Me, Wear Me, Have Me, Me No, Not Me, 2006-07, mild steel and metal paste

Photos courtesy of the artist and Talwar Gallery New York/New Delhi