At Gallery Kolkata this month, myth, form, and identity converge in a rare artistic dialogue that spans nearly a century of Indian modernism. The ongoing exhibition, “Three Visions – One Legacy: Resonances of Myth, Form & Identity,” running from February 2 to March 7, 2026, features paintings and sculptures by three revered artists — Jamini Roy, Thota Vaikuntam, and K.S. Radhakrishnan.
Hosted at the gallery’s Shakespeare Sarani space in central Kolkata, the show brings together distinctive yet intersecting visual philosophies that have shaped the evolution of Indian art. The exhibition’s curatorial focus lies in tracing resonances, how each artist, through their own idiom, redefines Indian identity while keeping tradition alive through innovation.
Jamini Roy (1887–1972), the pioneer who turned away from Western realism to embrace the folk vitality of Kalighat painting, sets the conceptual foundation for the exhibition. His mythological scenes and village figures, rendered in bold contour and earthy palette, continue to influence generations of artists seeking an indigenous modernism.
JAMINI ROY | Untitled (Gopini) | Gouache on Paper & Untitled (Man Sitting) | Tempera on Board
In conversation with Roy’s vision are Thota Vaikuntam’s evocative depictions of rural Telangana. His sensuous, stylized women, painted in blocks of rich, vibrant colour—embody both theatricality and intimacy, translating the rhythms of everyday life into modern myth. Meanwhile, the bronze sculptures of K.S. Radhakrishnan lift this dialogue into three dimensions. His winged and weightless figures, dynamic and timeless, represent the human spirit’s dance between rootedness and freedom.
THOTA VAIKUNTAM | Untitled (Telengana Man with the Pipe | Acrylic on Canvas | 2014
The exhibition unfolds across three conceptual tracks — Resonances of Myth, Form, and Identity. Each artist’s work flows into the next: Roy’s sacred narratives inspire Vaikuntam’s rural mythologies, which in turn find sculptural expression in Radhakrishnan’s airborne forms. Together, their works create a visual symphony that reasserts Indian art as both local in its roots and universal in its reach.
By aligning these masters across generations, Gallery Kolkata stages a conversation about how modern Indian art has continually reimagined itself. In revisiting Roy’s mythic simplicity, Vaikuntam’s vibrant realism, and Radhakrishnan’s sculptural fluidity, the show highlights an enduring legacy: that Indian identity in art thrives not through preservation alone, but through transformation.
The exhibition is on view daily (except Sundays and public holidays) from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm at Gallery Kolkata, Duckback House, 41 Shakespeare Sarani.
Cover Image: K.S. Radhakrishnan | Moths
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
