Chennai's House of Klothberg hosts Coalescence a contemporary art show in a retail setting
A place for everything, and everything in its place. That is how the world makes sense. But art is meant to, and often does, defy boundaries. That defiance is what gives this art exhibition its quiet power. Rather than hang politely on white walls, the works in Coalescence inhabit a living space — nestled between racks of sustainable, vegan garments, shelves of heels, and displays filled with straw hats and jute bags at The House of Klothberg on Harrington Road.
The store and vegan cafe, with its commitment to sustainability and mindful design, is less a backdrop and more a co-curator, allowing the artworks to engage with everyday life. 'Art shows are always within galleries or spaces meant for art. So, the people who walk in are art literate, and they're coming just because they're interested in art. So how do you make art accessible to the public?' asks curator Jitha Karthikeyan.
To bring art to spaces that are not galleries, was the idea that fuelled this exhibition. The five participating artists, Aishwaryan K, Sooraja KS, Dimple Shah, Anitha TK, and Mibin, interpret the central theme of coalescence in their unique way.
Chennai-based visual artist K S Sooraja's collage of artworks depicting the physical and mental experiences and feelings of women, hang inches away from a display of handbags and shoes. The artworks confront the weight of physical and emotional experience tied to womanhood, using hair as a symbol.
Dimple Shah, meanwhile, presents three distinct series. Fungi Head, bursting with psychedelic colour, is a metaphor for her shifting psychological states. In contrast, Contemplating with a Dead Tree turns inward, and focusses on decay, and the passage of time. Her third series, Quixotic Landscape, takes a more overtly critical tone, using absurd, imagined terrains to comment on ecological destruction and misuse of natural resources.
'In the broader context, art is very important to the world because it helps us understand those who are different from us. These artists have no common thread running between them. But that itself is the point. To show that we can be different, and still belong together,' says Jitha.
Aishwaryan K's Hasta series captures hand gestures in gouache and archival ink on elephant dung paper. Each gesture, drawn from memory, ritual, or everyday experience, invites the viewer to pause and connect with moments often overlooked. They are drenched in nostalgia of a childhood that no longer exists.
There is something disarming about turning a corner in a store and finding a painted gesture waiting for you. Coalescence does not demand attention — it lingers quietly, nudging you to look, reflect, and maybe see the space, and each other, a little differently.
Coalescence is on view at The House of Klothberg, Harrington Road, Chennai, till June 13.
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