Art exhibition 'Sapiens' explores the many faces of humanity through a curated ensemble of 17 artists

Sapiens, IndiGalleria’s first major physical group show open worlds. Spread across the serene, light-filled spaces of Kalamkar at Bikaner House, New Delhi, the exhibition runs from 5–14 December 2025 and brings together 17 contemporary artists whose works collectively map the emotional, cultural, and philosophical terrain of what it means to be human.

Sapiens explores our shared humanity through seventeen artistic lenses

Curated by Aakshat Sinha and co-curated by Harmandeep Keerti, Sapiens is positioned as an exploration of perception, how we feel, respond, remember, and connect. It is also a significant milestone for IndiGalleria, which has spent years cultivating online and international visibility and now turns its focus to sustained, meaningful on-ground engagements across the country.

Aakshat’s display design leans on rhythm and visual movement. Transitions are deliberate: semi-abstract works lead into abstractions, which then open into vibrant figurative pieces. “A 360-degree visual plan was made, assuming variations of colour, subject matter, and the nature of art itself,” he says. “The transition is marked for the visitor to find a logical movement across the exhibition while retaining the individuality of the works.”

Beyond aesthetics, Sapiens also reflects the socio-cultural undercurrent of contemporary India. “Art is reflective of the times it is created in,” Aakshat notes. “In some cases, this is apparent through the colours, motifs, and elements, and in others by sheer absence. Art is always political, even when it does not seem so.”

He points to examples: GC Jena’s spiritual works that invite introspection; Ananda Moy Banerji’s layered abstractions that nudge viewers to consider the times we inhabit; and Late Prabir Roy’s sculptures, including one of Gandhi walking forward, an image that “presents the Aakshat relevance” of such figures. “India is a transient, ever-evolving image,” Aakshat adds. “The artworks attempt to capture the ephemeral with the omnipresent.”

Among the many compelling voices in the exhibition is artist Sadaf Beg Khan, whose acrylic-on-canvas painting pulses with light, colour, and feminine energy. Her signature dot technique lends texture and a quiet luminosity to the work. “The painting weaves together the forms of women and natural elements,” she says. “It was sparked by my childhood memories of growing up in a village where the lush surroundings felt like an extension of myself.”

Her themes, femininity, resilience, and the bond between humans and nature, run through her broader practice. “I’m delving into how vulnerability and strength coexist within women, much like roots anchoring a tree through storms,” she reflects. “My paintings celebrate this bond, evolving from simple landscapes into deeper explorations of emotion.”

For Sadaf, the emotional landscape is inseparable from identity. “My village upbringing infuses the work with earthy symbolism and fluid feminine lines. As a woman in India, my identity brings in themes of veiled strength and unyielding beauty, intertwined with nature’s wild energy.”

Also featured is artist Ashok N Hinge, whose work is part of his ongoing series Line in Motion, Form in Emotion. His visual language stems from calligraphy, but expands beyond its traditional discipline into a more intuitive, breath-led approach. “The work grew from fleeting human moments I witness during daily travel, glances, gestures, movements that vanish but leave emotional traces,” he says.

For Ashok, the line is not a mark but a living entity. “I explore themes of energy, consciousness, and the subtle vibrations beneath human experience. I ask how a line can sense, respond, and embody emotion.”

His process is meditative, shaped by rhythm and observation. “I internalise impressions and translate them through calligraphic strokes,” he explains. “Forms fade, reappear, dissolve, and build themselves again. Each gesture senses its own direction.”

In striking contrast, artist Ashis Mondal presents a series centred on the horse, a recurring metaphor for energy, time, and the evolving human spirit. “Each painting explores the tension between the wild and the fsocialised, the instinctive and the integrated,” he says. “I was searching for a life-affirming force, and the horse became the perfect language to express the spiritual and emotional peaks I aim to reach.”

For Ashis, the horse is less a subject and more a pulse. “I try to sense the energy I want to translate, the quiet force beneath the surface of life,” he shares. “The early marks are raw and instinctive. As the painting develops, the process becomes more meditative, mirroring how primal energy becomes shaped and transformed.”

He hopes viewers approach the work as an internal journey. “I want them to feel both the wildness and the wisdom within themselves,” he says. “If the work sparks even a moment of introspection, it has done what I hoped.”

For founder Shashank Maurya, Sapiens marks a defining moment in IndiGalleria’s evolution. “We reaffirm our belief that art must be accessible, thoughtful, and transformative,” he says. “This exhibition is both a celebration of the artists we represent and a reflection of our mission to bring mindful, original art closer to people.”

IndiGalleria now plans to scale its physical presence with exhibitions, collaborations, and cultural programming across India.

On till 14 December at Kalamkar, Bikaner House, Delhi.

Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
X: @ShivaniIllakiya

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