The Lexicon Art Gallery proudly presented Alchemy of Matter, a landmark exhibition curated by Rahul Bhattacharya, which showcased the transformative studio culture of Baroda. Featuring works by sixteen distinguished artists, the exhibition explored a critical shift in artistic practice—a reimagination of materiality that challenged traditional perceptions and redefined the role of materials in contemporary art.
Baroda, historically renowned as the cradle of the Narrative movement and later a stronghold of mediatic realism, now emerges as a site of profound experimentation. The city’s studios have become incubators for cross-generational dialogue, fostering innovative approaches to both traditional and unconventional materials. Artists are not only engaging with mediums such as canvas, clay, glass, and bronze but are also re-politicising them, imbuing these materials with new semantics and cultural significance.
The preview was scheduled for 25th April, 2025 at The Main Art Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi. Guests including Raka Bal, Neelam Pratap Rudy, Shilpi Gupta, Rennie Joyy, Manoj Arora, & Nelofar Currimbhoy graced the exhibition.
Title of the show: Alchemy of Matter – New Materiality and Studio Practices at Baroda
Curator: Rahul Bhattacharya
Preview: 25th April 2025, from 6 PM – 9 PM
Dates: 26th April – 29th April 2025
Time: 11 AM – 7 PM
Venue: The Main Art Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi
The exhibition will continue from 5th May 2025 until 10th June 2025, from 11 AM – 7 PM at The Lexicon Art Gallery, M-12 Connaught Place Outer Circle, New Delhi.
The exhibition highlighted this ‘new materiality‘ through the works of mid-career and emerging artists: Mayur Gupta, Sashidharan Nair, Indrapramit Roy, Anuj Poddar, Ganesh Gohain, Santana Gohain, Chander Prakash, Vinod Daroz, Alok Bal, Nimesh Patel, Uday Mondal, Ajay Lakhera, Rai David, Santa Rakshit, Lochan Upadhyay, and Azghar Ali. Their practices reflected an evolving artistic trajectory that moved beyond narrative traditions and conceptual frameworks to engage deeply with material as a medium of storytelling and critique.
Through this collective exploration, The Alchemy of Matter invited viewers to witness how Baroda’s artists are reshaping contemporary art. The exhibition served as a testament to the city’s enduring legacy as a crucible for innovation while marking its transition into new realms of artistic inquiry.
On the occasion Mamta Nath, Founder of The Lexicon Art Gallery said, “The contemporary art culture and experimentation fostering in Baroda continues to be a hidden gem for art enthusiasts, curators and collectors. Alchemy of Matter is a comprehensive glance into that culture. Viewers can expect to engage with mediums and ideas that have remained unexplored and get a chance to interact with the artists, offering valuable insights into their creative processes.”
On the occasion Curator Rahul Bhattacharya said, “The Alchemy of Matter insists that materials are not mute—they argue, provoke, and remember. What we’re seeing in Baroda today is not a return or reaction, but a sharp reorientation: the studio as a site of material thinking. Artists are no longer illustrating politics—they’re embedding it into the grain of wood, the skin of clay, the weave of textile. These are not metaphors. They are confrontations. The medium doesn’t represent the message. It is the message.”
