Artist Shruti Gupta Chandra’s latest body of works is a response to art historian Lina Vincent’s essay which reflects on the philosophical, aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the artistic practice. A set of compelling abstracts on the canvas , curated by Ashwini Pai Bahadur, the exhibition titled, Where does the mind stop and the world begin? borders on intuition, movement and emotions.
Each artwork starts off as a white canvas but as one goes deeper into the layers, what unravels is a series of seemingly abstract shapes and forms. But the question that follows is are these really abstract? A closer look gives you an image of a red bird or a bunch of cubes or colourful patterns, each of which seem to be having a voice of its own. Marked by dots, lines, volume, flats, with acrylic, oil, watercolour, pen, pastel and collage; these artworks follow a cycle of repetition and creates an atmosphere of vibration.
What is fascinating about Shruti’s works is how she gives time and space to each medium (be it acrylic or water-colour) and brings out the hidden sensitivity of that medium. With over four decades of experience in dance and visual art, her works reflect a continuous dialogue between the mark and movement. The blurs, crescendos and spatial relationships start a cycle of becoming and unbecoming.
Chandra also reveals a distinct shift in her artistic practices with this exhibition. Throughout her four decades of practice she has explored figurative realism, anatomical studies, symbolic mindscapes, architectural beauties and with her current works, comes a full circle with abstraction. It seems that the artist consciously and willfully makes the shift to break free from the mainstream image making predictions. Moreover, these works seem to reflect a spiritual undercurrent which can be felt while observing them for too long. Each piece has a sense of reality, closing in on surreality, disappearing, re-appearing and all the while trying to find the source of its existence.
What: Where does the mind stop and the world begin? By Shruti Gupta Chandra
Where: Sridharani, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi
When: till March 24, 2026
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels