On the Horizon: Trivedi Gupu paints the space between seeing and feeling

If you visited Galleri Kaya last week, where artist Trivedi Gupu presented his second solo exhibition, you would quickly sense that 'On the Horizon' is more than a mere display of paintings—it is a visual conversation among nature, humanity, and abstraction. The 94 pieces, diverse in form and language, share an underlying harmony—a calm pulse occasionally interrupted by bursts of energy, as if each work captures a fleeting emotion suspended between reflection and instinct.  

Gupu's artistic hallmark lies in his precisely composed yet fluid linework, orchestrated with rhythmic control and imbued with an understated visual complexity. Using mixed media—from acrylic and ink to layered surfaces—he constructs imagery that feels grounded in cultural memory while simultaneously wandering into dreamlike abstraction. 

His art borrows from the visual language of oriental and folk traditions, but rather than copying them, he reinterprets their essence. The result is a fusion of myth and memory rendered through a lens that balances the recognisable with the unfamiliar.  

Trivedi's creative journey began in printmaking, a discipline that honed his sensitivity to texture, balance, and form. Over time, his approach matured into a synthesis of philosophy and emotion, where technical mastery meets quiet introspection. This merging of intellectual curiosity and personal reflection gives his works a deep, resonant quality that lingers beyond first impressions.  

After a four-year hiatus following his debut solo show, 'On the Horizon' marks a new chapter in Gupu's evolution as an artist. This body of work feels contemplative—spiritual even—suggesting that the horizon is not merely a pictorial boundary but a metaphor for transition, potential, and renewal.

Across the exhibition, each piece becomes a conversation between substance and spirit, between what is tangible and what lies just beyond reach. The horizon, in this sense, embodies both the end and the beginning—a threshold between the visible and the imagined.  

As Goutam Chakraborty, founder of Galleri Kaya, remarked in his inaugural speech, "Trivedi's work embodies the courage to look beyond what is seen and to question what awaits further on. His art reminds us that creativity need not always explain—it can inspire contemplation and wonder instead."  

TBS Picks

The window

Medium: Mixed media on paper

The artwork, featuring a vase of vivid flowers, situates the viewer within the tension between stillness and dynamism. The dark background, mottled with textural brown and ochre, allows the bursts of red, blue, and white petals to almost vibrate with intensity. The flowers, glowing from within a shadowed space, appear as an allegory for resilience—beauty flourishing amid obscurity. 

Moon in the garden

Medium: Mixed media on paper

The yellow orb, luminous against the heavy swathes of greens and blues, evokes a meditative silence in the moonlit forest. The trees, roughly hewn with broad, expressive strokes, become sentinels of solitude. There is an almost spiritual undertone here: the dense darkness is not oppressive but contemplative, inviting viewers to confront the interplay of concealment and revelation. The scene could symbolise a search for clarity within the depths of confusion—a metaphorical moon guiding through interior forests.

Nature-10

Medium: Mixed media on paper

This painting captures a tranquil riverscape bathed in golden light, where slender boats drift gently across layered strokes of blue, green, and amber. The artist's loose, textured brushwork evokes both movement and serenity, creating a sense of fleeting beauty. The silhouetted figures and sails merge with the landscape, blurring boundaries between water, sky, and reflection. It feels like a moment suspended in time—perhaps dawn or dusk—when nature and humanity coexist in quiet balance.