‘Minor Detail': A group show interprets the meaning of home

Rotting leaves and decaying petals lie in a heap on a large bed, much like a shroud of thoughts in the drawing titled They Lay in Heaps. Mumbai-based visual artist Saanthia Bulchandani’s monochrome ink drawing underscores the fine line between the comfort of rest and the discomfort of boredom, much like her other works on display as part of the group show Minor Detail at Akara Contemporary. The other participating artists include Mehak Garg, Shyamli Singbal and Anirban Mishra. A note from curator Shreemoyee Moitra emphasises the profound psychological significance of home as a space representing our yearning for belonging, comfort, and attachment through personal memories. It is also, as Mishra states, a place where we establish a sense of identity within a physical environment.

The artists have attempted to reflect, highlight and linger on these concepts of personal space, and psychological and emotional aspects of human existence in a home or private space.

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While Bulchandani works on a black and white palette, Kerala-based Garg uses oil on canvas or oil on paper, with strong emphasis on the colour tones. Garg’s canvases highlight the significance of psychological and emotional aspects of the human being in a domestic space and translates them into thought-provoking compositions. “For me, each artwork carries its own distinct significance. It might be rooted in a specific memory or personal experience, or it could be a blend of various spaces I’ve encountered and felt a connection to—what I call composite spaces,” she says.

The theme of the exhibition resonates deeply with Kolkata-based artist Mishra. “It also serves as a reaffirmation of self, where we establish a sense of identity within a physical environment,” he says. Employing a combination of coffee wash, pen and ink, oil pastels and watercolours, Mishra’s paintings explore the dichotomy of urban existence, portraying the interplay between external chaos and internal tranquillity, inviting viewers to contemplate their own experiences of finding refuge within the familiarity of home. Scenes of individuals going about their everyday tasks encapsulate the perpetual motion of life even within the calm confines of home. Long hallways and corridors of his home in Kolkata evoke these memories.

Shyamli Singbal, who was born in Goa but is based out of Bengaluru now, thinks of home as more of an essence than a physical space. “I find myself feeling most ‘at home’ with the people in my life—friends, my partner and family members,” she says, with much of her work candidly capturing moments, gestures and people that embody this idea of home. The attempt is to freeze and celebrate them in their everyday glory. The artist and educator has used a range of mediums including ink, colour pencils and watercolour.

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Minor Detail is on at Akara Contemporary, Colaba, Mumbai till 20 July, 11am-6.30 pm (Tuesday-Saturday).

Deepali Singh is a Mumbai-based art and culture writer.