Traces of Place: Group Show

How does a place influence our emotions and behaviour? What are the various experiences that two people can have of the same place? And can a place be reimagined to modulate our perception of its meaning and purpose? By asking these questions, you have become a psychogeographer. This mindset challenges the conventional, utilitarian understanding of urban spaces. It instead emphasises subjective experiences, playful explorations, and the potential for unexpected encounters.

Psychogeography is a hybrid term that combines “psychology” (the study of the mind and its functions) and “geography” (the study of physical characteristics of the earth). However, if geographers “carve,” “draw,” or “write” the earth, psychogeographers add a zest of soul to the mix; linking earth, mind and foot. Today, the term broadly refers to the revealing of underlying forces and influences that shape our experiences of the city, including social structures, power dynamics, historical layers, and personal associations. In our group exhibition, “Traces of Place”, these themes are explored through the unique works of Atul Dodiya, N.S. Harsha, Naresh Kumar, Rashid Rana and Reena Saini Kallat. By viewing the exhibition through the term’s lens, it becomes clear that Indian Contemporary Art is reshaping psychogeography’s narrative, challenging its colonial legacies, and reclaiming its own cultural spaces.