Behind every face
Twenty-four artists, Krishen Khanna and Anjolie Ela Menon among them, read the human face differently
The human face reveals everything about who we are and what we have experienced. This beautiful idea forms the foundation of HEADS: Every Face Holds a Story, an exhibition organised by Nayan Naveli Gallery at Shridharani Gallery in New Delhi.
Amrita Kochhar put this show together by gathering twenty-four artists across different generations. Seeing paintings by Krishen Khanna, Jogen Chowdhury, Jatin Das, and Anjolie Ela Menon together shows how they use human faces to document actual life stories. They join a massive lineup of over twenty other artists, like Sakti Burman and Arpana Caur, sharing this single exhibition space right now. Every artwork seems to map out the real, lived history of a person, leaving a permanent record of the miles they have traveled. Some stick to the strict discipline of classic portraiture, while others abandon those rules entirely to let features blur into a fleeting memory. Brand new commissions sit easily next to older works where you can instantly spot the familiar hand of a master.
Kochhar arranged the gathering to honour her late mother, Manjit Kochhar, who spent her life in medicine and public service. This personal history changes the gallery’s atmosphere completely. It provides a rare warmth that large group shows almost never achieve, making every painted expression on the wall feel like a quiet conversation waiting for a visitor to arrive and listen.
Striking faces
These paintings gather a really fascinating crowd of faces in one place. Every single expression seems to carry a heavy mood or a deeply private memory. A young face stands out because it is split right down the middle by harsh clashing colors. Another painting simply shows a woman clutching a blue elephant. It is an unusual detail for sure. Yet these paintings manage to dig right into the messy reality of childhood innocence and the complicated ways individuals figure out their true identities.
