From lines to leaves: Dual exhibitions at KNMA offer different ways of seeing
"Dimensions created out of solitude...," reads a line introducing the late Indian artist Nasreen Mohamedi ’s work. In another gallery, Italian artist Bice Lazzari speaks of “light, space, structure, synthesis and a little poetry”. Together, the words offer a way into In-Rhythm, where two artists meet through their shared interest in line, rhythm, repetition and space.
At Kiran Nadar Museum of Art , the exhibition is one of two shows that take viewers in different directions. While In-Rhythm brings together two artists in conversation, Inheritors of Earth turns towards the natural world, examining plants as active participants in the ecosystems we inhabit.
Tracing connections through art
Explaining the idea behind the exhibition, Roobina Karode, artistic director at KNMA, said, “It is always to present various works with different kinds of sensibilities and approaches.”
For Andrea Anastasio , Director, Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, who curated In-Rhythm with Roobina, it was also deeply personal. “Among the many gifts India has given me, one was experiencing the Nasreen retrospective in 2012, moving me in a very profound way,” he said, recalling how bringing her work into a jugalbandi with Lazzari revealed unexpected connections. “It was as if the two were present, inviting us to listen to them.” He noted, “Both were trained in music, and their understanding of rhythm and repetition finds its way into their practices.”
‘Plants are a parallel to the human experience’
Moving from In-Rhythm to Inheritors of Earth, the shift was striking. From Jayita Barai’s assemblage of foraged corn husk and Sonajhuri tree seed pods to Radhika Agarwala’s Where The Forest Begins Within, plants are the centre of the artistic inquiry in this exhibition. Curator Premjish Achari shared, “Plants are not a passive setting, but a parallel to the human experience, an entangled world with its own histories and forms of resilience coexisting with us. It invites participants to recognise plants as co-inheritors of the earth.”
Tracing connections through art
Explaining the idea behind the exhibition, Roobina Karode, artistic director at KNMA, said, “It is always to present various works with different kinds of sensibilities and approaches.”
Moving from In-Rhythm to Inheritors of Earth, the shift was striking. From Jayita Barai’s assemblage of foraged corn husk and Sonajhuri tree seed pods to Radhika Agarwala’s Where The Forest Begins Within, plants are the centre of the artistic inquiry in this exhibition. Curator Premjish Achari shared, “Plants are not a passive setting, but a parallel to the human experience, an entangled world with its own histories and forms of resilience coexisting with us. It invites participants to recognise plants as co-inheritors of the earth.”
Next Story