The Evolution of the Soothsayer sets the tone as Nature Morte marks three decades of its journey and the evolution of its artistic programme. Curated by founderPeter Nagy, the exhibition’s first chapter brings together artists across generations, from early associates such as Manisha Parekh and Dayanita Singh to more recent additions like Abir Karmakar, reflecting the gallery’s continuing engagement with evolving practices and visual languages.
Dayanita Singh’s Time Capsule (2024) brings together 12 archival pigment prints of fabric-wrapped bundles, exploring memory, hidden histories and the passage of time
The showcase also coincides with a new chapter for the gallery, which has opened a space in Gulmohar Park, just a few homes away from where its journey began in Neeti Bagh in 1997.
Peter Nagy with Subodh Gupta; Aparajita Jain
‘People have to take art a little more seriously’Speaking about Delhi’s art scene, which Nagy described as “overheating”, he said, “I’m exhausted (laughs). The art scene is actually overheating a bit right now. It’s good that so many people are opening spaces – it’s fantastic. We need more galleries; many young artists need to be shown. And what’s also good is that we’re seeing spaces open not just in Delhi and Mumbai, but also in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Calcutta. The growth of the secondary scene is important. But a lot of the people opening spaces don’t really know much about art. I think people have to take it a little more seriously and do more homework about what artists are doing.”Director Aparajita Jain said, “The opening of this new gallery marks an exciting moment for Nature Morte as we enter our fourth decade… The Evolution of the Soothsayer felt like a fitting inaugural exhibition, bringing together artists across generations and disciplines whose practices reflect the spirit of experimentation, intellectual curiosity and independent thinking that has long defined the gallery.”
Kalyani Saha Chawla and Rinke Khanna
A performance by Curtain Blue (Abhishek Bhatia) with Bang It Paaji (Vineet Singh) added live music to an evening celebrating the gallery’s past, present and future.
Curtain Blue with Bang It Paaji
Noelle Kadar and Jaya Asokan
Samar Jodha with Manu Paresh; Madhvi Parekh
Priya Paul with Bharti Kher
Amitava Das and Mona Rai
