Exhibition in Mumbai | Fragmented ruins

Chunks of white granite stand on black columns, almost reminiscent of historical fragments displayed in archaeological museums worldwide. Instead of ancient engravings, these blocks feature hand carvings of houses, geometrical shapes with a depth of field. ‘Ghar’ (written in Devanagari script) reads the accompanying placard, ruminating on the illusion of home and how houses made of brick and mortar embody one’s existence and memories. Elsewhere, oil paintings on wood or aluminium rendered in the scale of a smartphone depict incredibly detailed bird’s-eye views of some of the most evocative ruins in the world—from Mohenjo-daro and Hampi to the Parthenon and Colosseum. A common thread runs between the two exhibits, the former presented by Indian artist Sajid Wajid Shaikh and the latter by Spanish artist Jofre Oliveras. Currently on view at Gallery XXL, Mumbai, Witness and Evidence: deliberations on ruins by Sajid Wajid Shaikh and Jofre Oliveras is an investigation of the ruins that are around us, and the ruins that are far away but continue to surround us.