More than ten pioneering figures of Indian modern art — including F. N. Souza, Bhupen Khakhar, Ram Kumar and Meera Mukherji — come together for The Architecture of the Void exhibition in New Delhi. Opening at Gallery Dotwalk on April 18, 2026, the show explores how paper became a site of courage, fragility and experiment in the years after Independence, tracing how postcolonial artists redrew identity, faith and belonging through the simplest of lines and marks.
About the Exhibition
The Architecture of the Void: Lines on a Postcolonial Skeleton opens at Gallery Dotwalk, Defence Colony, on April 18, 2026. The show runs until May 30, 2026, and features drawings, watercolours, etchings, and works on paper by artists such as F. N. Souza, Bhupen Khakhar, Somnath Hore, J. Swaminathan, and Meera Mukherji. The focus is on how fragile materials like paper reflected the hopes and anxieties of a nation as it found its own visual language after British rule.
Rethinking Paper and Modernism
Instead of showing large oil paintings, this exhibition turns the spotlight on paper—the medium through which many Indian artists first tested their modern sensibilities. The curatorial team at Dotwalk approaches paper not as a background, but as a living surface that carries marks of hesitation, erasure and risk. Each line becomes an act of thinking, capturing the uncertainty of rebuilding identity in a postcolonial world.
Artwork by- Somnath Hore and G.R. Santosh | Image Source: Gallery Dotwalk
Lines That Listen to History
The exhibition follows the line as it shifts between the personal, political and spiritual. F. N. Souza and Sadanand K. Bakre bring bold, architectural precision to their drawings, while Somnath Hore and Jogen Chowdhury trace the body’s pain and resilience. Works by Bireswar Sen, Ram Kumar and G. R. Santosh open up dreamlike worlds of myth, mountain and geometry. Together, these voices create a visual dialogue about fragility, healing and imagination on paper.
Curatorial Vision and Gallery Direction
For Gallery Dotwalk, this exhibition marks a quiet but meaningful shift. Having built its name through contemporary shows, residencies and film-based projects, the gallery now turns its gaze toward Indian modernism. Founder-Director Sreejith C N says, “We wanted our second exhibition in Defence Colony to honour the fragility and courage of those gestures on paper—lines drawn in the wake of Independence and Partition.” The show creates a bridge between modern and contemporary practices, suggesting that questions raised decades ago by India’s early modernists continue to resonate in present-day art.
Exhibition Details
Title: The Architecture of the Void: Lines on a Postcolonial Skeleton
Artists: Badri Narayan, Bhupen Khakhar, Bireswar Sen, F. N. Souza, G. R. Santosh, J. Swaminathan, Jangarh Singh Shyam, Jogen Chowdhury, K. H. Ara, Meera Mukherji, Piraji Sagara, Prabhakar Barve, Ram Kumar, Sadanand K. Bakre, Somnath Hore.
Venue: Gallery Dotwalk, D-34, First Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024
Preview: 18 April 2026, 5:30 pm onwards
Dates: 19 April – 30 May 2026
Timings: Monday to Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm
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: Artwork by- Badri Narayan | Image Credit: Gallery Dotwalk
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