This exhibit in Hyderabad examines hidden structures and the remnants of presence

Governed by an invisible choreography of rituals, routines, and social conventions, the way we move through the world is far less independent than we might imagine. Protocols of Living dives into the often-overlooked formal and informal frameworks, exploring the systems that quietly shape our way of life.

Through diverse materials, the artists explore the impact of unseen systems on people, places, and lived experiences

Bringing together a range of conceptual approaches, the showcase examines daily life as a space where larger social, political, and environmental forces take shape. Through diverse materials, the artists explore the impact of these often-unseen structures, focusing not on the systems themselves but on the traces they leave behind in people, places, and lived experiences.

For West Bengal-based visual artist Shubhendu Karmakar, the overlooked details of public spaces often hold the most compelling stories.

“My work is rooted in observing public spaces and the ways they change over time — places that slowly accumulate dust, rust, stains, and other signs of age. These traces reveal stories about care, neglect, maintenance, and our collective relationship with shared spaces,” he says.

Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, Shubhendu explores themes of material decay, transformation, and the passage of time, working primarily with iron sheets, acrylic paint, dust, and paper. He is particularly fascinated by iron and dust, seeing in them a parallel to the gradual shifts that shape communities.

Rather than prescribing a singular interpretation, the artist hopes viewers leave with a heightened awareness of their surroundings. “If someone leaves the exhibition with a greater awareness of the overlooked details around them, then I feel my work is done.”

Another artist, Gayathri T Santhosh explores themes of collective memory, mortality, and humanitarian crises, drawing connections between historical events and contemporary realities. Working primarily with watercolour on paper and cloth, she employs embroidery as a metaphorical act of marking, repairing, and remembering.

Her practice examines the cyclical nature of human crises, weaving together archival materials such as maps, photographs, and written testimonies with present-day imagery. The experience of living through the COVID-19 pandemic proved particularly formative, deepening her engagement with questions of loss, resilience, and the ways societies respond to moments of collective upheaval.

“Once the lockdown was lifted, it felt as though people wanted to forget the crisis quickly. But for me, it lingered. While many spoke of returning to ‘normal’, I felt we were living in a new normal shaped by the pandemic,” the artist explains.

Gayathri’s work is a response to feelings of fear, isolation, loss and grief in the face of disease and imminent death.

“It was a human crisis, and it may now be in the past, but it proves to be a blueprint through which people can look back and analyse how society functions in the face of a pandemic.”

Protocols of Living also features the work of artists Soumen Ray and Prajwal Naitam.

On view till August 3.11 am to 7 pm. At Dhi Contemporary, Madhapur.

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