Gallery Kolkata’s debut exhibition in Delhi, Pancha-Tattva: Material Matters – Crafting Art, Architecture and Design, curated by Ankon Mitra, brings together 29 artists, architects, and designers to explore the elemental relationship between maker and material.
About the Exhibition
Pancha-Tattva: Material Matters – Crafting Art, Architecture and Design in Delhi positions material as both medium and message. Curated by artist and designer Ankon Mitra, the show dissolves boundaries between art, architecture, and design through a multi-sensory engagement with matter itself. Presented by Gallery Kolkata and gallerist Meghna Agarwala, this exhibition reflects a bold curatorial experiment in the capital’s cultural calendar.
Running from 15 March to 19 April 2026 at Gallery Kolkata’s new space in Greater Kailash 2, the showcase features an impressive roster of 29 makers—from revered senior artists to emerging innovators—all united by their dialogue with the physical world.
Artist Practice
The exhibition includes acclaimed artists Kavita Nayar, Arunkumar HG, Sheela Chamariya, and Srila Mookherjee; leading designers like Siddhartha Das, Joya Nandurdikar, Amrita Guha, Arjun Rathi, Malavika Singh, Babar Afzal, Amrita Nambiar, and Bandana Jain; and architects such as Sushant Verma, Nitin Barchha, Jwalant Mahadevwala, Kanishka Jain, and Piyusha Patwardhan.
Together, these makers engage in a shared exploration of “material intelligence”—how the tactile, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of matter shape the creative process. As curator Ankon Mitra observes, “In the direct interaction between maker and material, the differences between art, architecture, and design dissolve. What remains is the bond—the sacred conversation that transforms both.”
Curatorial Vision of Pancha-Tattva
The curatorial thread of Pancha-Tattva weaves through five elemental materials—Concrete (Fire), Wood (Earth), Glass (Water), Textile (Air), and Copper/Brass/Bronze (Space/Ether). These serve as metaphors for the ancient concept of Pancha-Tattva, or the Five Elements, symbolising the transformation of the physical into the intellectual and spiritual.
In the Concept Note, Mitra interprets each element through the lens of the gunas—Sattva (purity), Rajas (dynamism), and Tamas (desire)—framing each maker’s process as a balance between intention, instinct, and material response.
Key Themes
The exhibition celebrates the act of making as an intimate dialogue between hands and matter. Whether shaping molten metal or weaving threads into form, the participating creators highlight the “source code” of craft in a time increasingly defined by digital mediation. The result is a deep meditation on the timeless connection between creativity, materiality, and the human spirit.
Exhibition Details
Title: Pancha-Tattva: Material Matters – Crafting Art, Architecture and Design
Curator: Ankon Mitra
Presented by: Meghna Agarwala, Gallery Kolkata
Artists & Makers: 29 participants across art, design, and architecture, including Kavita Nayar, Arunkumar HG, Siddhartha Das, Joya Nandurdikar, Arjun Rathi, Sushant Verma, and others
Venue: Gallery Kolkata, E-46, GK 2, New Delhi (opposite Queen’s Court)
Dates: 15 March – 19 April 2026
This article has been created from the press kit shared with Abir Pothi. For press releases and related queries, write to editor@abirpothi.com.
Cover image: Asato Ma Sadgamaya | Kavita Nayar.
Contributor
