Chandra Bhattacharjee’s solo exhibition “Shots in the dark” opens in Delhi, presenting large-scale charcoal drawings and watercolours that spotlight marginalised urban lives.
About the exhibition
Art Alive Gallery presents Shots in the dark, a solo exhibition by Chandra Bhattacharjee. The show first appeared at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam from 18 to 24 July 2026, then moves to Art Alive Gallery from 1 to 20 August 2026. The series centres on street dwellers, workers and neighbourhood characters the artist has observed for decades.
Image Credit: Art Alive Gallery
Artist practice
Bhattacharjee uses charcoal for monumental drawings and watercolour for smaller studies of everyday objects. He describes the works as “shots in the dark” — visual expressions that have been gestating within him for ages. Many figures appear with their backs turned, carrying a dusty sense of “riches” that belong to the artist’s private memory.
Image Credit: Art Alive Gallery
From hoarding painter to gallery artist
As a hoarding painter in Calcutta in the 1980s, Bhattacharjee had a bird’s-eye view of a marginalised stream of humanity. He says that from his high perch “the unspeakable almost seemed like normal, ‘life as usual.’ But, obviously, it wasn’t.” Those early impressions stayed with him and later blended with close observations on firmer ground.
Key themes
The works explore visibility, anonymity and quiet dignity. Rendered in charcoal, the solitary figures feel both intimate and monumental. Bhattacharjee invites viewers to pause and see lives that often pass unnoticed. The watercolours add soft colour studies of ordinary objects and extend the exhibition’s humane focus.
Image Credit: Art Alive Gallery
Curatorial note
Sunaina Anand, Founder-Director of Art Alive Gallery, says the show “sensitively handles a powerful subject and compels us to look beyond the visible.” She highlights the artist’s use of charcoal on a monumental scale to restore dignity and presence to lives that sustain the fabric of society.
Highlights to watch
- Large-scale charcoal drawings that foreground marginalised figures.
- Watercolours of everyday objects rendered in soft hues.
- A continuity between the artist’s hoarding-painting past and his current drawing practice.
Practical details
Title: Shots in the dark
Artist: Chandra Bhattacharjee
Preview/venues: Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi (18–24 July 2026); Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi (1–20 August 2026)
Organiser: Art Alive Gallery
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: Art Alive Gallery
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