Two group exhibitions to explore nature and indigenous traditions in Hyderabad

Two group exhibitions—Prakriti: A Quiet Continuum and Living Lineages—will open in Hyderabad on May 2, bringing together contemporary and folk artistic practices in a shared curatorial space. The shows will run until June 15.

The exhibitions feature works by contemporary artists Lal Bahadur Singh, Sumanto Chowdhury, Roy K John and K. Sudheesh alongside folk artists Bhuri Bai, Balu Jivya Mashe, Saroj Venkat Shyam and Venkat Raman Shyam.

Prakriti: A Quiet Continuum examines the idea of ‘prakriti’—nature—as both an external landscape and an internal state. Through varied visual languages, the artists explore personal relationships with the natural world. Roy K John’s works depict dense vegetation and cultivated landscapes, reflecting both sustenance and ecological vulnerability, while Lal Bahadur Singh’s imagery of familiar animals like parrots and cows gestures towards the tension between rural life and urban expansion.

K. Sudheesh’s recent works are rooted in his sustained observation of a local lake, capturing reflections and mirrored forms that blur the boundary between the physical landscape and emotional memory. Sumanto Chowdhury, drawing from architectural forms and Indian miniature traditions, presents expansive, human-less landscapes that subtly bridge built environments and nature.

In contrast, Living Lineages focuses on artists rooted in indigenous and folk traditions, foregrounding practices shaped by generational knowledge rather than formal academic training. The exhibition highlights how repetition, pattern and gesture function as storytelling tools within these traditions, even as they evolve in contemporary contexts.

Balu Jivya Mashe’s Warli paintings use geometric forms to depict community life and cosmological beliefs, often featuring circular compositions that signify continuity. Bhuri Bai’s Bhil works employ vibrant colours and intricate dot patterns to portray everyday village life, while Gond artists Saroj and Venkat Shyam draw on mythology and nature through rhythmic linear detailing that creates a sense of movement.

The exhibition also includes Cheriyal scroll paintings from Telangana, a traditional narrative art form known for its vivid storytelling and large-scale compositions.

Gallerist Rekha Lahoti said the dual exhibition format creates a dialogue between contemporary and traditional practices. “While the works differ in form, process and context, presenting them together allows viewers to engage more closely and decide what resonates with them,” she said, adding that the exhibitions aim to open up conversations around different ways of seeing and making art.


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