Scribble on the Wall: Where childhood meets the contemporary

Inside Method’s gallery in Kala Ghoda, a wall waits to be marked. The invitation is simple: draw. For most galleries, the act would register as a breach of decorum. In Scribble on the Wall, it forms part of the exhibition’s logic. The group show, curated by Anica Mann and presented by LOAM, proposes another way of thinking about contemporary art’s place in family life.

At Method in Kala Ghoda, curator Anica Mann gathers fourteen artists for an exhibition

Opening on February 28 at Method, the exhibition gathers fourteen artists whose practices span painting, textiles, installation, illustration, and new media. Their works move through humour, graphic language, texture, and sensory experience, forming an environment where art becomes part of everyday engagement rather than something encountered only at a distance.

For Mann, the exhibition begins with a refusal of the category often labelled “children’s art”.

“Children deserve to be surrounded by depth of thinking in their everyday objects,” she says. “The world of artists is a very considered world. If it is opened up through research and understanding of artistic practice, it can transform how children learn, imagine, and respect the objects around them.”

Scribble on the Wall arrives alongside Woke Up a Dinosaur, a solo presentation by Vinayak Sarwankar. Together, the exhibitions introduce LOAM, an initiative co-founded by Mann and Gayeti Singh that seeks to bring contemporary art into the daily lives of children and families. Their approach emerges from a shared belief that childhood represents a serious intellectual and imaginative space.

“The show reflects what LOAM hopes to do,” Mann explains. “We want to bring a world made by artists into the lives of children and families, slowly moving away from the wasteful reliance on mass-produced plastic toys that children quickly outgrow.”

Across the gallery, the artists approach this idea through distinct visual languages. Amrit Pal Singh introduces a population of toy-like figures that shift between painting, sculpture, and digital imagery. Rounded silhouettes and vibrant colours recall pop culture and childhood drawing, while retaining the sensibility of studio experimentation.

In the textile works of Anitha Reddy and Liactuallee, craft becomes a site of narrative and collaboration. Reddy’s practice unfolds through partnerships with artisan communities, foregrounding memory and shared authorship. Liactuallee’s soft sculptures examine labour and care through tactile forms that invite close attention.

Painting forms another strand of the exhibition. Ashna Malik constructs optical surfaces that shift with the viewer’s movement, turning perception into an active experience. Mona Sharma explores emotional interiors through layered imagery that transforms domestic spaces into psychological terrain.

Several artists employ graphic language as a means of storytelling. Priyesh T draws from urban visual culture to produce bold illustrations rich with character and narrative. Sanatan Vatsayan approaches mark-making through influences drawn from graffiti and bodily movement, echoing the instinctive gestures of childhood drawing. Meanwhile Raj Chowdhury moves between abstraction and figuration, layering text and painterly marks to map emotional states.

The exhibition also introduces sensory and participatory installations. Hansika Mangwani creates environments shaped by light and sound, encouraging viewers to experience emotion through spatial immersion. Harshita Sharma extends the idea of play through sculptural kites and drawing-based participation.

Material presence remains central throughout the exhibition. Sculptural assemblages by Pavan Kumar draw from everyday objects, forming compositions that function as observational self-portraits. In the work of Revant Dasgupta, symbols and graphic forms accumulate across painting, illustration, and printed matter, reflecting on social hierarchies embedded in visual culture.

Other contributions approach play through design and tactile exploration. Cultrebox produces collectible objects and cultural kits that combine storytelling with hands-on activity. Textile environments by Vishaka Jindal create spaces intended for exploration through proximity and touch.

For Mann, the emphasis on material intelligence carries particular significance in an era dominated by screens.

“Children’s minds are highly absorptive,” she says. “Purpose and meaning matter to them. Artists are thinkers, researchers, writers, and skilled technicians. When a child encounters something made by an artist, the engagement is different from an object bought online.”

She offers a simple comparison. A lamp created by an artist introduces a child to a maker’s process and intention. A crocheted sculpture suspended from the ceiling carries the marks of labour and care. “These objects allow families to build lives around heirlooms rather than fast consumption,” Mann notes.

The curatorial framework behind the exhibition draws on Mann’s academic background in archaeology and contemporary art, alongside Singh’s work as a journalist and mother. Their collaboration informed the selection of artists whose practices span multiple disciplines while remaining grounded in cultural inquiry.

“A seasoned curator and a mother make a strong combination,” Mann reflects. “Our aim was to bring together emerging artists from South Asia and engage children and families with the culture of their own time.”

The invitation to draw on the gallery wall crystallises the exhibition’s ethos. Visitors are asked to respect the artworks while being encouraged to participate in a shared act of mark-making. The gesture recalls childhood scribbling while connecting it to artistic practice.

“Children need a different kind of art exhibition,” Mann says. “When people began drawing on the wall, they recognised a side of themselves they had cherished.”

Within the galleries of Kala Ghoda, Scribble on the Wall proposes a modest but resonant shift. The exhibition suggests that contemporary art can inhabit domestic life as readily as the gallery, shaping how children observe, imagine, and create. Through LOAM, Mann and Singh hope to cultivate that relationship gradually.

“Art has many definitions,” Mann says. “Through LOAM we want families to encounter art across everyday life, whether through a painting, a textile object, or a game inspired by archaeology. If it encourages children to use their minds and hands more, then the work has begun.”

Also taking place alongside the exhibitions is a family art day at Method on Sunday, 8 March. Designed for children and their parents, the event invites visitors to spend the day inside the gallery with music, dancing, colouring sessions, and a guided art walk through Scribble on the Wall and Woke Up a Dinosaur by Vinayak Sarwankar. Two sessions will run across the day, 11am–1.30pm for ages 2–5 and 2pm–3.30pm for ages 6–10, with parents encouraged to join. Young visitors can meet other families, explore the exhibitions curated by Anica Mann, and enjoy sprinkle cookies from Haiku Cafe. 

Opening: 28 February 2026 | 2 PM onwards
Venue: Method, Kala Ghoda, Fort Mumbai

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