When progress falters and systems fail, artists have historically served as vessels for change and dissent while shouldering the burden of preserving unseen and untold stories. And in a time marked by unchecked capitalist greed, an incomprehensible flood of artificially generated art, and the steady erosion of creative thinking, platforming young artists becomes a necessity.
In collaboration with Goethe-Zentrum, Emerging Palettes.16, marks 16 years of bringing together young artistic voices. This edition features 10 emerging artists who have completed their Master’s in Art within the last four years. The idea behind this initiative was fairly straightforward. Hyderabad lacked a dedicated platform for young artists to present their work, and Emerging Palettes was conceived to fill that gap, focusing specifically on artists trained in Fine Arts — not as a bureaucratic benchmark, but as a way of spotlighting those who have spent years consciously honing their craft.
Among the artists featured in the showcase, Rahul Ghosh, whose work drifts between memory, observation, and imagination, transforms familiar worlds into something more elusive and interpretive. “My drawings are used as an expressive element in my work, purposely resisting a direct interpretation. While they are close to the world I see, the colours allow them to converse with the world I imagine,” says the artist, who primarily works with lithography.
Another artist, Sai Gitanjali Poluru works across sculpture and sound installations, exploring the relationship between sound and movement. “My practice began with a question: What is the physical form of sound? This inquiry led me toward exploring how sound emerges through resonance and vibration within the voids and cavities of sculptural forms.”
Combining architectural acoustics, VR environments and experiential sonic chambers, Sai Gitanjali investigates the relationship between sound, healing and sensory experience. “What I hope viewers take away from my work is a renewed sensitivity toward the sonic and spatial environments they inhabit,” she adds.
Vishnupriya G P’s textile and threadwork is strongly connected to her childhood memories of Kerala’s Theyyam rituals. “As a child, I was fascinated by the towering red figures, elaborate costumes, intense performances, and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding rituals. What once appeared to me as giant mythical beings gradually became a subject of deeper curiosity and understanding.” Instead of leaning towards a direct exploration, the artist reinterprets elements of Theyyam through fragmented impressions, shaped by memory, symbolism and lived experience.
Similarly, Sayak Mohanta’s practice spans large-scale ink drawings, paintings, and installations in an exploration of ecological precarity and political violence. Hailing from rural West Bengal, the artist’s work embodies first-hand observations of disappearing environments, submerged histories, migration and labour.
“Personally, the work becomes a way to process fear, grief, and political helplessness. I believe every viewer is already a political being, and through these fragments, they can recognise for themselves who is repeatedly silenced, displaced, and suppressed within systems of power,” he says. A recurring theme in his work is transformation; the shift in bodies and landscapes, juxtaposing paradise and dystopia alongside intimacy and decay.
On view from till July 31, 11 am to 7 pm. At Srishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills.
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