Artist Arunava Mondal’s solo exhibition Ambient Landscapes delves into the quiet intervals between light and shadow, between memory and sensation. Wandering through remote terrains, Mondal immerses himself in the stillness of his surroundings, fermenting them within him until they resurface as colour, rhythm, and form. His compositions hover in a liminal space between the seen and the sensed, the remembered and the imagined. Hints of horizon, reflections of water, or the trace of distant landforms appear only to dissolve again, leaving behind atmospheres rather than topographies.
Mondal is an intuitive artist who builds his surfaces in translucent layers, allowing pigments to breathe and intermingle like shifting light. Abstraction, for Mondal, is a natural extension of his engagement with nature, a means of articulating its essence rather than its appearance. His works possess the lyricism of music and the meditative stillness of silence. We sit with the artist for a conversation around his work.
What inspired this exhibition called Ambient Landscapes?
For me, “ambient” implies immersion, being enveloped by light, colour, and shifting elements rather than observing them from a distance. My practice is rooted in moments when my surroundings merge with my mood, and landscape becomes less about geography and more about presence. I have always tried to move beyond the conventional idea of landscape painting. Rather than depicting a physical place, be they mountains or oceans, I try to evoke the atmosphere that surrounds them - the quiet vibrations that define my experience of nature.
You have used the colours in such an intensely raw and surreal manner. Tell us how you went about it?
My art is a collision of observed reality and dream-driven logic. I begin by rendering nature with unflinching clarity—textures of growth and decay, the raw materiality of the world as it is. Once that foundation is established, colour becomes a force of disruption and re-interpretation. I use hues that are intentionally surreal, sometimes even dissonant, to fracture the familiar and open a path into the psychological terrain beneath it. To actually take the viewer into a tilted space where anything is possible! Along with impossible geometries and altered perspectives, my landscapes become environments where primal intensity meets dreamlike logic.
Are you an avid traveller? What kind of terrain do you love exploring?
I travel a lot, in India, alone. Mountains fascinate me; their vastness and their immobility help me to understand myself. Water is magic for me. I could immerse myself in the deep and never miss the world above.
What draws you to nature?
Its vastness, its purity and its colours. I try to capture the feelings nature evokes in me, the spirit and soul of my surroundings.
What inspires your art?
Nature is my ultimate muse.
Who are the classic surreal artists, apart from Dali who inspire you?
Max Ernst, René Magritte, Joan Miro, Yves Tanguy and my all-time favourite Van Gogh’s landscapes.
Do you believe in the commerce of art or art for the sake of it?
Always art for art’s sake, but can’t ignore the commerce.
Where do you see the current art scene heading to? How is art evolving out of the gallery spaces....
The current Indian art scene is rapidly moving towards a digital-first, globally aware and decentralised future, characterised by a strong embrace of NFTs, AI and digital media that often reinterprets traditional Indian forms. Art is evolving dramatically, shifting from exclusive gallery spaces to online platforms and social media, democratising access for both artists and a new generation of collectors. At the same time, there is a rise in site-specific installations, large-scale public murals and art festivals. Art galleries have a special role to play here. They are giving new and emerging artists a chance and showcasing work that can be viewed globally.
Your other upcoming projects?
I have a lot of projects coming up, several shows in India and abroad. I have a group show at the Romanian Embassy in February 2026 and this will be taken to Romania later. I have a group show at the Jahangir Art Gallery in Mumbai in March 2026. There are talks of an upcoming show in Berlin curated by a Polish artist.
On till December 13, 2025 at Tejas Art Gallery, Kolkata