A group exhibition exploring the theme of “Dreams” concluded at the North Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts after a week-long run that brought together ten artists working across painting and sculpture. The show, presented by the city-based collective Petrichor, had opened on July 19. Centred on ideas of aspiration, memory and the subconscious, the exhibition featured eight painters and two sculptors, each interpreting the theme through distinct visual languages. The collective, founded in 2023 by Kolkata-based artist Jeet Gangopadhyay in the aftermath of the pandemic, has been positioning its annual shows around collaboration and shared artistic direction, including the practice of selecting the next year’s theme collectively on the closing day.
Curated by former Kala Bhavana professor Nandadulal Mukhopadhyay, the exhibition brought together works that moved between personal reflection and wider social commentary. A terracotta installation featuring multiple human heads reflected the emotional fabric and layered aspirations within joint families, while a metal sculpture in the form of a banyan tree drew on ideas of shelter, resilience and continuity. Among the paintings, one series explored the idea of discovering light within nature, while another work — a large triangular canvas depicting a child on a battlefield, presented a stark anti-war narrative. Other works engaged with the imagery of the womb to reflect on life and beginnings, while one artist transformed an everyday private bus ticket into the metaphor of an airplane, pointing to the aspirations of ordinary people. The exhibition had been inaugurated in the presence of noted figures from the fields of linguistics and visual art, including Pabitra Sarkar, Tarak Garai and Subrata Gangopadhyay, and saw steady footfall of artists, students and visitors through the week.
Continuing a distinctive feature of its presentations, the collective had also carried forward its annual tree-planting ritual. A sapling from its first exhibition was replanted in a square planter, with inaugural guests adding sketches and written messages, turning it into an evolving artwork symbolising continuity and collective growth.
