From the lustrous world of glass and ceramic springs a new exhibition – Fantastical Creatures – featuring the works of 11 artists from Kolkata and beyond. Held in collaboration between AFSA Fired Art and Tejas Art Gallery, the exhibition celebrates the alchemy of fire and form merged with imagination.
While one might find the name similar to Fantastic Beasts from the Harry Potter series, it is because it fits perfectly well with the philosophies of the display, which include mythology, folktales, literary fiction, mysticism, spirituality, and more. These animals, which are symbols of guardians or tricksters, companions or icons of culture, come together in this shared space of art for the viewers to see, acknowledge, interpret, and return with a creative memory of a creature they might be so familiar with.
Curator and founder of the Gallery, Aban Desai, mentions, “For the past 18 years, Tejas has been supporting upcoming artists and giving new ideas, a platform. Fantastical Creatures was born out of that impulse—to gift the city another memorable show in ceramics, glass, and beyond.”
Participants ask questions, create ideas, and challenge norms through their works. While Aditi Saraogi imagines the body to be floral instead of flesh, blood, and bone, Anjumit Nobis re-imagines angels, and Anuj Poddar’s figures are nameless, yet not unfamiliar.
Asim Paul recreates the primal energy of cave drawings; Falguni Bhatt challenges stereotypes; and Hina Bhatt merges mythology with contemporary storytelling.
Poddar says that his sculptures “reflect Buddha’s nirvāṇa—the extinguishing of craving, ego, and noise.” Hina Bhatts’ work,” by pushing the boundaries of porcelain as an artistic medium, makes it a canvas of reflection, inviting viewers into a space where mythology becomes a mirror for our own inner journeys."
Mausumi Roy’s whimsical figures, Ashish Chowdhury’s metaphorical structures, Shukti Singh Roy’s Navagunjara from the Mahabharat, Souvik Das’s recreation of Sukumar Ray’s Ho Jo bo Ro Lo, and Srila Mookherjee’s works all find a place in the exhibition.
Fantastical Creatures is on display at The Tejas Art Gallery (222 AJC Bose Road, Circular Mansions, 2nd floor) till September 20, 2025
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