Canvas of calm in ‘Constructed Stillness’
In the works of Bengaluru-based artists Ashu Gupta and Sangeeta Abhay, being showcased in Delhi, the stillness is neither passive nor empty
Moving between intimacy and monumentality, detail and presence is ‘Constructed Stillness’, an exhibition showcasing works by Bengaluru-based artists Ashu Gupta and Sangeeta Abhay. In a world marked by speed and constant disruption, the exhibition, which is on view at Bikaner House in New Delhi till March 2, proposes another rhythm: one in which calm is not assumed but made.
At first glance, the practices of Ashu Gupta and Sangeeta Abhay appear materially and visually distinct. One builds intricate worlds through the discipline of pen and ink and paper piercing, while the other shapes presence through oil painting and sculptural form. Yet beneath this divergence lies a shared inquiry: how stillness is constructed — patiently, deliberately, over time.
Stillness is often mistaken for absence — of movement, of sound, of time. Yet the stillness encountered in the works of Ashu Gupta and Sangeeta Abhay is neither passive nor empty. It is deliberate, accumulated, built. In ‘Constructed Stillness’, calm emerges not as a given condition, but as the result of sustained engagement with mark, material, and time itself.
Ashu Gupta, In My Own World
Ashu Gupta’s works are durational fields. Pattern gradually gathers into structure, structure resolves into image, and the image invites a pause. In an era accustomed to rapid consumption, Ashu’s process resists immediacy. Her creations demand slowness. They cannot be apprehended with a mere glance. The act of viewing mirrors the act of making: attentive, measured, sustained. Stillness, here, is constructed through accumulation. Time does not disappear; it settles into the density of her patterns.
Engaging with themes of nature, childhood memories, physical expression and inner thought, Ashu explores human experiences as a keen observer of life’s fleeting fragments. A schoolboy ascends under the weight of possibility, books flowing outward like a private mountain. Dice align in a randomised order, disrupted by a singular defining intervention. Corners of a home silently witness life within. A bird sits within a dense tree, contemplating flight. These are moments poised between motion and pause — scenes that feel held rather than hurried.
Sangeeta Abhay approaches stillness through a different but equally rigorous vocabulary. Working across oil, gold leaf, resin, metal, and found materials, she constructs forms that balance complexity with clarity. Layering becomes both visual strategy and temporal record.
Gold leaf catches and releases light. Textured surfaces reveal evidence of labour beneath their composure. Sculptural works hold weight and equilibrium with quiet authority. Here, stillness is not immediate — it is achieved through material negotiation and layered intent.
Sangeeta takes on a deep exploration of the idea of ‘Utpatti’ — the moment of origin, when something comes into being. In her practice, creation is not presented as dramatic or turbulent. Instead, she focuses on the point at which form has already emerged and settled. Her paintings and sculptures capture this state of arrival — where the energy of becoming has stabilised into presence. A landmark sculpture is constructed using 108 discarded keyboards, showing Buddha in the Bhumisparsha Mudra. Here, ephemeral tools of instant communication are reassembled into a timeless state of calm and continuity, inviting reflection on the contemporary struggle to stay mindful amid constant connectivity and digital saturation.
In both practices, time is not depicted but embodied. Repetition becomes rhythm; layering becomes duration; material becomes memory. Together, the two artists expand the meaning of stillness. It is not passive. It does not arrive fully formed. It is constructed — through labour, through patience, through sustained engagement with form.
“This marks the first time both Ashu and Sangeeta are exhibiting in Delhi, and we believe audiences here will find their practices both refreshing and compelling. What excites us most is the way their artistic languages remain so distinct, yet come together with remarkable cohesion in this exhibition,” says Varun Backliwal, founder of Artisera.
