A rare showcase of Santiniketan’s artistic legacy arrives this March at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, as sculptor and painter Kiran Dixit Thacker, the only living disciple of the legendary Ramkinkar Baij, presents her solo exhibition Our Ashram…Santiniketan from 2–9 March 2026.
Bringing together over a hundred works across media from bronze, stone, and mild steel sculptures to watercolours, paintings, and drawings, the exhibition traces Thacker’s lifelong engagement with her surroundings in Santiniketan and her years of practice in London. It celebrates an artist whose deep understanding of material and form transforms the rhythms of everyday life into profound sculptural narratives.
Rooted in figuration yet informed by geometry, Thacker’s work demonstrates both strength and sensitivity. Among the standout pieces are The Goat, Three Santhal Men, Woman with her Hens and Cocks, as well as intimate bronzes like Owls, Lovers, and Monkeys. Each work reveals her characteristic attention to surface and structure, echoing the ethos of her mentor Baij and contemporary Somnath Hore.
Speaking about her materials, Thacker reflects on her enduring fascination with metal: “I have always loved shaping metal—heat and a careful hand let you coax any form from a stubborn sheet,” she says. While bronze remains her first love, she notes that mild steel allows for greater freedom and experimentation—skills she refined during her years teaching design and technology in London. Yet, it is Santiniketan’s ponds, birds, and changing seasons that remain her abiding muse.
Curated around the themes of memory, place, and craft, Our Ashram…Santiniketan offers a deeply personal yet universally resonant encounter with Kiran Dixit Thacker’s artistic journey. The exhibition serves not only as a tribute to her mentor’s legacy but also as a testament to a life devoted to art that bridges the monumental and the intimate.
Our Ashram…Santiniketan will be on view from 2–9 March 2026, 11 AM to 7 PM, at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Colony, New Delhi.
Cover Image: Kiran Dixit Thacker | Card Players | Bronze | lifesize.
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
