The solo art exhibition by Yusuf in New Delhi presents a comprehensive look at the artist’s decades-long inquiry into the transformative power and rhythmic precision of the humble line.
About the exhibition
Curated by Sanya Malik’s Black Cube Gallery and Shantanu Sharma, ‘Line as Witness’. It serves as an accumulation of years of rigorous practice by the Bhopal-based artist. The showcase features a diverse range of works, including acrylic paintings, mixed media explorations, and sculptural forms. Running from 29th March to 11th April 2026, the solo art exhibition by Yusuf in New Delhi invites viewers to witness how a singular, minimal element can expand into an entire visual universe.
Image Credit: Black Cube Gallery
Artistic Practice of Yusuf
Born in Gwalior in 1952, Yusuf has spent over fifty years refining a visual language that balances geometric discipline with organic fluidity. He is Aa recipient of the Raza Award and the Lalit Kala Akademi National Award. Yusuf is perhaps best known for his pioneering role in establishing the Graphic Workshop at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. While he often works with ink on rice paper, this solo art exhibition by Yusuf in New Delhi highlights his versatility across different scales and substrates, maintaining his signature focus on sparse, evocative forms.
Image Credit: Black Cube Gallery
Themes and materials
For Yusuf, the line is far more than a tool for drafting; it is a “living unit” that measures space and records the memory of a gesture. The works in this collection oscillate between states of movement and stillness. At times, the lines create a quiet, stabilising grid; at others, they flow like waves of energy.
This sensitivity to the relationship between presence and absence allows organic shapes to hover within the pictorial space. These forms suggest natural phenomena—such as wind-swept dunes or living tissue—without ever surrendering to literal depiction. As the artist himself notes, “When an artist creates a shape using the line, it is the line that gives it a definite shape — ending all other possibilities.”
Curatorial vision
The exhibition highlights Yusuf’s unique position within Indian contemporary abstraction. The legendary J. Swaminathan once remarked, “There is none better than Yusuf who understands the meaning and magic of the line.” By presenting works that span various media, the curators emphasise the artist’s philosophical proposition: that the act of seeing and thinking is fundamentally tied to the movement of a point through space. This solo art exhibition by Yusuf in New Delhi underscores his belief that “when a point moves, a line is drawn,” capturing the very essence of creation.
Visit the exhibition
- Exhibition Title: Line as Witness
- Artist: Yusuf
- Venue: Sunder Nagar, New Delhi (Presented by Black Cube Gallery and Shantanu Sharma)
- Dates: 29th March to 11th April 2026
- Entry: Visits are by prior appointment only.
Contributor
