Exhibitions

Shape of a Thought: Letters from Ram Kumar

“It is a beautiful painting, but I am not able to understand it”
“There is nothing to understand, it is only to be felt from within”

– Excerpt, The Artist and the Collector

Shape of a Thought invites visitors to pause and reflect, observe and be inspired. Join us on a journey of introspection through the mesmerising artworks and evocative letters of Ram Kumar, one of India’s most renowned modernists on the occasion of his centenary year.

Prolific in his soulful narratives that examined the complexities of the human condition, Ram Kumar used words sparingly to talk about his art. His paintings are alive with an array of feelings and emotions that are not meant to be summed up in words or phrases. Instead, he urges the viewer on an exploration of observation and reflection. An artist who felt deeply, Ram Kumar was shaped by the world around him. From an economist, to a writer, to an artist — his methods of expression were as layered and manifold as the emotions his art inspires.

The exhibition is accompanied by two activities that create a deeper engagement with the art on display. The Writing Table gives audiences a chance to write a letter to themselves, loved ones, strangers, or even a city through a set of prompts. Family Label facilitates an exploration of abstract art by allowing visitors to look at artworks and creating a label on what they think the artwork means, or what they see or feel when faced with an abstract artwork.

Shape of a Thought also features the film ‘The Spaces in Between’ by Naveed Mulki. The film explores letter exchanges between Ram Kumar and his friend and the many conversations they have on life, art and the world.

We invite you to come, linger, and contemplate with Ram Kumar.

This exhibition is supported by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC).

Portrait of Ram Kumar, Jyoti Bhatt, 1961, DC.00241

Untitled (Ruby Forest), Ram Kumar, 1976, Oil on canvas, MAC.01040