The traditional style of miniature paintings from Persia and India refuses to fade away—we have contemporary artists constantly interpretating it in unique ways. The striking group exhibition “Land That Lives Through Us” (curated by Khushboo Jain) at Art and Charlie, Mumbai (January 9 to February 16, 2025) celebrated the miniature by bringing landscapes to centre stage. In historical works, they are usually relegated to the background, with focus shifting to mythological or courtly figures. In the works chosen for this show, landscapes are vital elements of narratives—they are reflections of human emotions and sites where human dramas unfold.

The lush scenery in green and blue and the generous display of gold in these mesmerising, intricately detailed paintings have an immediate effect on the viewer’s mind, urging them to reestablish communion with nature.

Some works present domestic and industrial spaces, also confronting the realities of change and disruption that permeate our environments. Pressing socio-political issues, such as climate change and displacement, are addressed, illustrating how human actions leave lasting imprints on the land. These altered terrains become arenas of storytelling, where migration, resilience, and history converge. Artists weave personal stories with broader narratives, connecting individual experiences to collective memory. Thereby, inviting introspection and dialogue, about how landscapes shape the human condition and how we, in turn, influence them.

Each artist offers a distinctive response to this exploration, expanding the conversation in compelling ways. Anahita Alavi breathes new life into Persian miniatures, celebrating the timeless beauty of nature and its spiritual resonance. Gopa Trivedi addresses social and individual anxieties by creating subversive idioms using seemingly insignficant spaces or objects. Jayant Silva, in collaboration with Ravi Kumawat presents a circle of six seasons taken from selected verses of Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara. Manjot Kaur works are intimate worlds encompassing the anthropology of wonder and awe, proposing narratives that imagine a multi-species future.

Ramsha Haider, inspired by the Sufi poem “Conference of the Birds” explores the possibilities of journey within and a voyage of self-discovery. Simran Kaur Panesar explores the interplay of light and darkness, reimagining traditional symbols and celebrating cultural heritage through vivid depictions of nature and identity. Sujay Sanan inverts the narrative, bringing the urgency of climate-related issues concerning our landscapes to the forefront. Tanjima Kar Sekh integrates the philosophy of Islamic environmentalism with botanical elements, blending them seamlessly with intricate geometric patterns. Yasmin Hayat draws from Middle Eastern cosmography, using the symbolic bull and whale to represent the balance between agriculture, the sea, and human life. “Land That Lives Through Us” encompasses the sublime, the terrible, the beautiful, and the spiritual.

Art and Charlie is an innovative contemporary art space. It goes beyond the usual white cube-style art gallery, including a performance venue, consulting entity, design shop, café and informative online content platform. Having started as a nomadic gallery that curated shows at different venues across Mumbai, it grew to showcase at Mumbai Gallery Weekend in 2021 alongside more-established art houses. The model evolved further during the pandemic. Art and Charlie represents contemporary visual artists from South Asia whose practices add to anthropological discourses of our time.

Links: Website (artandcharlie.com) | Instagram (www.instagram.com/artandcharlie)

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