Current Exhibition

Of: Dread/Decay

an exhibition of paintings

Inauguration: Thursday, 27 August 2026 at 6pm | 27 August – 25 September 2026 | 2 – 8 pm (Mondays by appointment only)

Gallery Huda, 31 Maharaja Tagore Road, Kolkata - 700031

This exhibition features works by artists contemplating societal change, death, the inner self, and liberation from material suffering through textural, often monochromatic paintings.

Umesh Jana's works focus on a constantly changing world. Monarchical remains and living objects hint at memories, and modern equipment and machinery reflect growth. However, that sentiment is juxtaposed with feelings of dread. Man-made destruction of the environment, alteration of history, and erasure of nature all lead to a fear of an uncertain future. In 'Shifting Realities', he explores the fragile relationship between memory, landscapes, and human intervention. Jana further encourages the audience to ascribe their own meaning to the work and to interpret the abstract and figurative elements in their own way.

Palash Chandra Baidya employs texture, compartments, and repetition to comment on 'transformations'. In one of his paintings he comments on the destruction of greenery to construct high-rise buildings, and further illustrates the curious phenomenon of individuals boasting their own collection of greenery in the form of potted plants while living in the same symbols of destruction. This also symbolises the transformation of lifestyles from big families to nuclear ones. His 'Unfolding the Folds' reflects the journey to the inner self; the act of unfolding the folded papers is symbolic of attaining the deeper layers of the mind.

Black, burnt red, and gray find home in Subrata Saha's 'Death' Series, which speaks of loss, dread, and decay. Intimate meditations on his personal fears are placed in a social context and universalized through its depiction of the environment and of the human condition. He depicts the forced departure of insects, flying birds, animals, open land, and clean air - the death of nature, along with the death of mankind. In one of his works in this exhibition, a vulture waits eagerly to feast on the decaying body. This seemingly ominous act, however, expresses a very natural cycle of life. His works, therefore, place dread in the centre while showing its deeply human nature.