Four Artists, Four Flames: 105arts Chandigarh opens month-long contemporary art exhibition; View Pics
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 23, 2026: Four artists, four distinct artistic voices and 38 works come together at 105arts, Chandigarh, in a month-long contemporary art exhibition exploring the many ways light, emotion and perspective can shape art.
Titled Ember. Deep. Charāgh. Loa, the exhibition opened on August 21 and will continue until September 21. It brings together works by Gurmeet Marwah, Shubhra Das, Kamar Alam and Chaitali Chanda, featuring canvases and sculptures that differ widely in style, subject and visual language.
The exhibition takes its title from four words associated with flame or light across languages — Ember in English, Deep in Hindi, Charāgh in Urdu and Loa in Punjabi. The idea, according to curator and 105arts founder Mehak Bhan, is to celebrate the plurality of contemporary Indian art.
“Light does not belong to one tongue, one tradition, one way of seeing. And neither does art,” Bhan said, explaining that she brought together four artists whose practices appear very different but are connected by their distinctive approaches to art and contemporary life.
“What unites them is neither style, nor medium, geography or generation. It’s instead their shining presence in Indian contemporary art today — mid-career, deeply formed, still becoming,” she said.
The works presented in the exhibition offer sharply contrasting experiences.
Kamar Alam explores stillness through paintings featuring monks, boats, trees and water. His restrained palette and meditative compositions create a sense of quiet contemplation, encouraging viewers to slow down and observe.
In contrast, Gurmeet Marwah uses satire and humour to address everyday realities. His drawings and installations employ simplicity and wit to comment on society, often inviting viewers to laugh before confronting the deeper message beneath the humour.
Shubhra Das builds her canvases through layers of pastel, texture, women and elements of nature. Her works combine delicacy with a strong sense of discipline, presenting beauty not merely as decoration but as an artistic statement.
Chaitali Chanda, the youngest artist in the exhibition, brings a vibrant visual vocabulary from Kolkata. Mango groves, flower markets and banana plantations appear in energetic colours, giving her works an atmosphere of celebration and joy.
Alongside the four artists, Mehak Bhan and 105arts are also debuting a participatory installation titled ਕੀ, ਕਿੱਥੇ | Ki, Kithe | What, Where.
At the centre of the installation is a tower made of 45 large wooden bricks, each carrying a word in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu or English. The words represent emotions and experiences including love, exhaustion, longing and courage.
Visitors are invited to pull out a brick, hold the word and consider whether it belongs to them at that moment.
The installation seeks to turn the gallery from a space of passive viewing into one of participation and self-reflection. While Ki asks what a person is made of, Kithe asks where they are going — suggesting that understanding one’s position may be the first step towards discovering one’s own inner light.
Through its four artists and the participatory installation, Ember. Deep. Charāgh. Loa presents contemporary Indian art as a conversation across languages, generations and artistic practices.
The exhibition is on view at 105arts, Chandigarh, from August 21 to September 21, 2026.