Whatever we encounter in nature—trees, plants, flowers, leaves, birds, animals, rivers, and mountains—exists not only in the world outside us but also within us. We are so accustomed to looking outward that we seldom realise that what we perceive, whether consciously or unconsciously, also emerges from somewhere deep within ourselves. To observe the diverse elements of nature is, in a profound sense, to observe oneself – or rather, to see the world through one’s inner being. Senior artist Ritu Kamath’s solo exhibition Entangled Ecologies invites viewers on precisely such an inward journey. On view at Triveni Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, the exhibition opened on 21 July and continues until 31 July.
Outside the gallery, the sunlight alternates with drifting clouds. Potted plants line the walls, green grass spreads across the courtyard, trees stand quietly nearby, and flowers bloom among them. Upon entering the gallery, however, one feels that nature has assumed another form altogether. In Ritu Kamath’s paintings and drawings, nature blossoms with a renewed aesthetic sensibility. What pulses through the vines, leaves, and flowers on her canvases is life itself. Here, flowers cease to be merely botanical forms; they become extensions of an emotional and social world.
Those who are absent from these images—whether human beings, birds, or insects—remain strangely present through their very absence. The relationship between living beings and nature can never truly be severed. Kamath understands this deeply. Consequently, her works do not seek to construct grand landscapes or monumental ideas. Instead, they draw our attention to the subtle, almost unnoticed moments of ordinary life that constantly surround us. Creepers climbing walls, flowers and leaves emerging like memories, dreams, and emotions—this is the world her paintings inhabit. Here, the ordinary quietly transforms into the extraordinary.
Alongside the paintings, the exhibition also includes several drawings executed on canvas. Looking at them, one hardly senses any essential creative difference between the drawings and the paintings. Both emerge from the same artistic vision and sensibility; the only distinction lies in the presence or absence of colour.
Each work in the exhibition deserves an essay of its own. Every image resembles a poem whose meanings unfold in countless directions. These possibilities cannot be confined within words alone. Ritu Kamath’s art is not something to be merely looked at; it is something to be lived. To experience it fully, one must pause before the works, enter into a direct dialogue with them, and gradually discover the world of meanings that slowly reveals itself from within.
Leave a Reply