The Deep Interiors – A Return to the (Un)Discovered Self exhibition in Hyderabad delves into the self

We’ve all heard of classic conflicts such as Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Society, Man vs.Technology. But perhaps the most enduring, and the most intimate, is Man vs. Self. It is a conflict within memory, within the body, within us. A group exhibition by Gallery Dotwalk, Deep Interiors – A Return to the (Un)Discovered Self, places this inward struggle at its centre.

The showcase explores how art becomes both as a mirror and a map of the self

The curator Sibdas Sengupta explains, “I was fascinated with interior spaces, the nuances of domesticity, and how artists historically have searched for the self through their practices. Different social structures evolve, and with them, so does the self. This exhibition allows us to see what the self is becoming, and how exterior factors alter the interior world.”

Bringing together 34 artists across generations, including FN Souza, Thota Vaikuntam, and Chippa Sudhakar, the exhibition has four sections—Interfacing Interiors, Containment and Transformation, The Self the Other, and Bodily Embodiment. “I didn’t want to bracket interiority as a single idea. Each artist approaches it differently—through architecture, performance, memory, or the body as an archive—so we created sections to avoid the generalisation of the subject,” explains Sibdas.

Artist Sujith SN turns landscapes and faces into sites of resistance. “I use landscape as a medium to communicate subtle violence, power structures, and layered histories. A land is never just innocent; it carries pain and memory,” he says. His pandemic-born portraits offer strangers’ faces as metaphors for lost connection: “Making a face gave me space to meet people again, even if only through the work.”

Mehak Garg explores the concept of home through her works. Born from the experiences she had when she moved to Kerala for her Masters, she found herself missing her home in Delhi. But we all go through such experiences — once we leave a place, it never feels the same anymore.

The silence in her artworks is accentuated by the use of oil paints and pastel shades to create mood. The medium gives Mehak time to think and rework the canvas while trying to transfer these intangible feelings into art.

Working on the sentiment of homes, Mehak shares the common thread in her series. “Toys are a recurring object in my works. I had a deep attachment to toys because I feel like they’re a fragmented self of me. I’m putting thoughts into that toy—it’s a very raw experience.”

The exhibition brings to the surface what truly lies in the hearts of people, reminding us that, at the end of the day, to be human is to feel, to connect, and to share in the universality of our experiences.

Free entry.

September 6 to11,

11 am to 5 pm.

At State Art Gallery, Madhapur.

Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress

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