Intimate Gestures: Indian Masters on Paper, a new salon exhibition in New Delhi, brings works on paper by modern and contemporary Indian masters into a close, reflective setting where visitors can see every mark and gesture.
Why Paper Is The Star Of This Show
Kalakaar’s salon show runs from 29 May 2026 to 31 July 2026 in Defence Colony. The exhibition focuses entirely on works on paper—drawings, ink, watercolour, gouache, pastel, prints and mixed media—by major Indian artists. Unlike canvas, bronze or stone, paper does not demand grandness. It invites closeness and lets artists work at the scale of the hand, wrist, breath and thought. Paper often becomes the first surface to receive an idea before it becomes formal or monumental.
Image 1: Artist- F.N Souza, Portrait of a man- 1956, Monotype oil on paper, 68 x 52 cm | Image 2: Artist- F.N Souza, Oil on Paper, 11 x 8.5 inches | Image 3: Artist- A Ramachandran, Watercolour on paper, 15 x 11 inches | Image Credit: Kalakaar Art Salon
Four Bold Themes That Guide Your Visit
The curators divide the show into four clear themes that reveal how artists use paper for immediacy, intimacy and freedom. Each theme highlights a different way paper becomes a vital ground in modern and contemporary Indian art.
The Authority Of Line: Where Every Mark Speaks
This section treats line as one of the most direct and revealing forms of artistic expression. In works by F. N. Souza, M. F. Husain, Laxman Pai and K. Laxma Goud, line moves beyond simple contour or description. It structures form, suggests movement, intensifies emotion and makes the artist’s hand visible on the surface.
Myth, Memory, and Private Worlds: Dreams On Paper
Here, the paper becomes a space for inner reflection, memory, dream, folklore and personal symbolism. Ganesh Pyne, Sakti Burman, Madhvi Parekh and A. Ramachandran use paper to create images that move between the seen, the remembered and the imagined. Myth and memory emerge in intimate, deeply personal ways.
The Human Condition: Body As Experience, Not Ideal
The body appears not as an idealised form but as a bearer of real experience. In works by Somnath Hore, Anupam Sud, Nilima Sheikh, Piraji Sagara and F. N. Souza, the human figure becomes a site of vulnerability, desire, suffering, endurance and social tension. The paper gives these encounters particular immediacy, allowing the body to be registered with both restraint and force.
Silence, Space, and Reduction: Less Becomes More
This section turns to works in which stillness, restraint, and reduction become central to meaning. Through minimal gestures, controlled surfaces and quiet compositions, artists such as Sohan Qadri and Prabhakar Barwe show how paper can hold presence without excess. Silence and space become active parts of the image.
Artist: Sohan Qadri | Ink & dye on paper | 27.4 x 39.4 inches | Image Credit: Kalakaar Art Salon
14 Masters You Will Meet Here
The exhibition brings together F. N. Souza, M. F. Husain, Laxman Pai, K. Laxma Goud, Ganesh Pyne, Sakti Burman, Madhvi Parekh, A. Ramachandran, Somnath Hore, Anupam Sud, Nilima Sheikh, Piraji Sagara, Sohan Qadri and Prabhakar Barwe. Each artist uses paper differently, creating a rich conversation across generations and styles.
Exhibition Details: When And Where To Visit
Title: Intimate Gestures: Indian Masters on Paper
Artists: 14 modern and contemporary Indian masters listed above
Venue: Kalakaar Art Salon, D-64, Second Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi
Dates: 29 May 2026 – 31 July 2026
Website: https://www.kalakaarart.in
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: Artist: Anupam Sud | Dining with Ego – 1999 | Etching on paper | 19.5 x 39 inches
Contributor
