‘Objects May Appear Softer’: A group exhibition of contemporary women artists

From 24 July to 4 September, Objects May Appear Softer… will be on view at Black Cube Gallery in Hauz Khas, presenting a landmark showcase of works by 21 contemporary Indian women artists. Curated by gallery founder and director Sanya Malik, the exhibition is a bold statement on perception, identity, and artistic complexity—reframing “softness” not as fragility but as layered strength.

The show features an intergenerational and geographically diverse group of artists working across mediums such as painting, sculpture, installation, digital and mixed media. Included in the line-up are celebrated names like Manisha Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, Hema Upadhyay, Sujata Bajaj, and Nilofer Suleman, alongside a dynamic group of emerging and mid-career voices such as Tarini Sethi, Shifali Mehra, Hansika Mangwani, Sahaya Sharma, and Yashika Sugandh.

Other participating artists include Pooja Acharya, Manisha Agarwal, Aparna Bidasaria, Poonam Bhatnagar, Pragya Bhargava, Chaitali Chanda, Kanchan Chander, Susmita Chowbey, Siri Devi Khandavilli, Meena Sansanwal, and Nehmat Mongia—each contributing a unique perspective shaped by personal experience, historical lineage, and experimental practice.

“These artists span generations, languages, and approaches, but what connects them is a refusal to be simplified,” says Malik. “They reclaim space by disrupting long-held assumptions—about medium, identity, and who gets to be seen.”

The exhibition’s title is a play on the familiar warning in vehicle mirrors—“objects in the mirror may appear closer than they are”—drawing attention to the distance between perception and reality. Malik explains that “what is often seen as soft—whether in gesture, material or persona—is too easily mistaken for weakness. But within this delicacy is rigour, resistance and clarity.”

The artworks in Objects May Appear Softer… range from deeply personal narratives to explorations of ecological, mythic and political themes. Some works employ traditional materials in unexpected ways, while others use digital interventions to question the construction of visibility itself. Together, they form what Malik calls “a multifaceted visual chorus: textured, layered, embodied.”

The show marks one of the most ambitious curatorial efforts yet by Black Cube Gallery, which opened its first permanent space in New Delhi earlier this year. Committed to bridging the gap between established and emerging practices, the gallery aims to dismantle hierarchies in the art world and open up new forms of dialogue.

Also Read: Original Shadows: A group art exhibition

Raised in a home steeped in Indian art and mentored by luminaries like Himmat Shah and Krishen Khanna, Malik studied art criticism and curating at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in London. Her curatorial vision foregrounds experimentation, inclusivity and critical engagement with contemporary culture.

“Black Cube is not just a space to exhibit art,” Malik said. “It’s a space to think, feel and challenge what we take for granted—about art, gender, and the structures that frame both.”

When: July 24- September 4; 12 PM – 6 PM

Where: Black Cube Gallery, G12A, 2nd Floor, Hauz Khas, New Delhi