Blueprints of Illusion: An exhibition of drawings

Vadehra Art Gallery has opened its latest exhibition, “Blueprints of Illusion”, showcasing 25 black-and-white drawings by Balkrishna Doshi. Running until November 12, 2024, the exhibition delves into the artistic side of Doshi, known as one of India’s foremost architects.

The exhibit highlights works created between 2014 and 2022, offering insight into Doshi’s exploration of space, memory, and abstraction. The drawings reflect Doshi’s architectural ethos, which blends modernism with Indian cultural influences. “These pieces capture Doshi’s lifelong dialogue with form and imagination,” a Vadehra Art Gallery spokesperson said.

Doshi, the first Indian architect to receive the prestigious Pritzker Prize, began his career as an apprentice to Le Corbusier, an experience that heavily influenced his work. His drawings combine inspirations from Indian miniature art with abstraction, often reflecting on childhood memories and philosophical questions that emerged as he aged. The gallery’s curator explains, “Doshi’s lines and curves seem to breathe with collective movement, invoking memories, moods, and moments in a way only he could achieve.”

On the exhibition’s opening night, photographer Dayanita Singh and architect Khushnu Panthaki Hoof introduced The Art of Balkrishna Doshi, a monograph published by Vadehra Art Gallery with Koenig Books. The publication, launched internationally last year, documents Doshi’s journey as an artist alongside his architectural legacy.

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Vadehra Art Gallery has dedicated this exhibit to Doshi’s contributions to Indian art and architecture, honoring a legacy that extended beyond structures to include a deeply personal, expressive body of work.

When: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM; Until November 12

Where: Vadehra Art Gallery, D-40 Defence Colony, New Delhi