Preview: Act of Republic

Naresh Kumar’s art explores his stubborn negotiation with place and belonging in a life shaped by constant migration.

That Kumar has left and returned to Bombay five times is not just anecdotal but threads through his works. Each return is an attempt to reoccupy a place on new terms, alongside a shifting sense of self.

Kumar’s materials speak to this sense of provisionality. He paints directly onto old telephone directories which were once a thick, familiar presence in every home and now obsolete. Their fading, fragile pages mirror the self as it moves through time, memory and uncertain geographies.

Act of Republic proposes that even amid the circumstances of drift and inherited systems — personal, political and cultural, there exists a precious sliver of freedom to shape a self. Kumar has built his republic of one through ritual, resolve, and that small freedom.

We look forward to seeing you at the opening preview on #ArtNightThursday, 10 July from 6-9 PM

Also check out other Arts events in Mumbai.