To Be Continued in Mumbai: A conversation between emerging and established artists

At its heart, To Be Continued… feels less like a formal exhibition and more like an ongoing conversation—one that moves gently between generations. Indulge Express explores this dialogue further through conversations with artists like Kiran Chopra, Cheena Madan and Shreyas Khanvilkar, whose practices reflect both continuity and change.

All you need to know about art exhibition To Be Continued

Here, seasoned artists and first-time exhibitors share the same walls, not in contrast, but in quiet dialogue. You begin to see how ideas travel—how a bold experiment by a younger artist might echo a risk once taken by a senior, or how years of practice can sit comfortably beside fresh, instinctive approaches. What emerges is a fluid narrative of continuity, where every work feels like a chapter in something still unfolding.

Walking one’s own path

For Kiran Chopra, the presence of younger artists doesn’t disrupt her established visual language—it reaffirms it. Speaking about whether the exhibition shifted her perspective, she says, “Honestly, it didn’t shake me. If anything, it made me surer of what I’ve always believed—that an artist has to break away and walk their own path.”

Her journey, once met with resistance, finds resonance in the practices of emerging artists today. “When I started doing monochromes in black, people called it a taboo. Seniors told me it wouldn’t work, that no one would show it. But I trusted my gut and kept at it. Today I’m known for that work because I didn’t listen,” she reflects. Observing younger artists take similar risks brings a sense of continuity. “Seeing the younger artists here, doing their own thing without waiting for permission, just reminded me why I started painting the way I did… it confirmed that the risk was worth it.”

Turning inward through abstraction

In contrast, Cheena Madan’s work moves inward, exploring the intangible spaces of perception. Through Floral Phosphenes, she translates fleeting inner visuals into form. “Through abstraction, I explore the ephemeral nature of these phenomena, translating them into layered compositions of shifting colour, shape, and light,” she explains.

Using acrylics and inks, her surfaces carry a sense of movement and translucency. “I build textures and transparencies that mimic the organic, fluid quality of phosphenes—pulsing dots, radiant halos, and delicate waves that seem to hover on the edge of clarity, almost like planetary nebulas,” she says. Rooted in intuition, her process mirrors the unpredictability of inner vision. “Each painting becomes a portal into an interior landscape… it asks viewers to pause, reflect, and consider what lies within.”

When material becomes meaning

For sculptor Shreyas Khanvilkar, the conversation shifts from the internal to the tactile, where material itself carries meaning. Reflecting on his approach, he says, “I don’t pick materials just because they look nice—they change how the work hits you.”

Whether it is rusted metal, scrap, bronze, or wood, each medium brings its own emotional weight. “If I use rusted metal or old scrap, it’s already lived a life. You feel that weight and roughness right away. Bronze feels solid… wood makes you slow down,” he explains.

In his practice, material is inseparable from idea. “So the material does half the talking… otherwise, I’m just explaining things. Basically, the material is the point. It isn’t decoration—it’s the language.”

A story still unfolding

What ties these voices together is not similarity, but a shared sense of movement. Each artist contributes to an evolving narrative where ideas are carried forward, reshaped, and reimagined. As you move through the exhibition, nothing feels final—only in transition. Every work becomes part of a larger story still being written, across generations and ways of seeing.

What: To Be Continued…, a group exhibition
Where: Jehangir Art Gallery (Auditorium), Mumbai
When: Till April 20, 2026 | 11 am to 7 pm

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