Catching the Green Ray — Rhythm Gangwar

“Catching the Green Ray: Ephemeral Moments in Indian Moving Image Art” is a collective exhibition that explores the elusive nature of truth, perception, and human connection through the lens of contemporary Indian moving image artworks. Inspired by Jules Verne’s novel and Eric Rohmer’s film “The Green Ray,” this exhibition seeks to capture those fleeting moments of clarity and understanding that, like the green ray itself, are both rare and transformative.

Set in the iconic Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) in Jaipur, a cultural center designed by the renowned architect Charles Correa, this exhibition brings together works by prominent Indian artists who push the boundaries of moving image art. The exhibition will utilize various existing spaces within JKK, creating an immersive journey that reflects the themes of elusiveness, perception, and revelation.

Catching the Green Ray — board on Jawahar Kala Kendra, with a photograph of Charles Correa’s red sandstone architecture — The site board — JKK’s nine-square Navagraha mandala plan, the geometry the exhibition route borrows.

Just as the green ray is a momentary flash of illumination, art has the power to provide sudden insights into our own emotions and the world around us.

The green ray phenomenon serves as a powerful metaphor for the artistic process and the viewer’s experience. Just as the green ray is a momentary flash of illumination, art has the power to provide sudden insights into our own emotions and the world around us. This exhibition explores how Indian artists use moving images to create these moments of clarity, challenging our perceptions and inviting us to see the world anew.

Exhibition Checklist — Jawahar Kala Kendra

Nalini Malani In Search of Vanished Blood, 2012 — five projections with rotating reverse-painted mylar cylinders
Amar Kanwar Such a Morning, 2017 — feature-length film
Shilpa Gupta 100 Hand-drawn Maps of India, 2007–present — video installation
Ranbir Kaleka Named on boards
Ashish Avikunthak Named on boards

Catching the Green Ray — title board of the curatorial proposal, set like a catalogue cover

Catching the Green Ray — site-analysis board for Jawahar Kala Kendra with plan and zoning studies

Catching the Green Ray — 3D massing study of the exhibition route through JKK

Catching the Green Ray — featured-artist board with installation renders for Amar Kanwar’s work

Catching the Green Ray — featured-artist board with a low-lit installation render

Catching the Green Ray — board on the significance of the exhibition

Artists & works

Nalini Malani — In Search of Vanished Blood (2012): immersive video/shadow play, five projections with rotating reverse-painted mylar cylinders; themes of violence, feminism, and the legacy of partition.

Amar Kanwar — Such a Morning (2017): feature-length film following a mathematician who withdraws from the world to live in darkness; light, darkness, and perception.

Shilpa Gupta — 100 Hand-drawn Maps of India (2007–present): presented as video installation; people drawing India’s borders from memory; fluidity of perception and memory.

With works by Ranbir Kaleka and Ashish Avikunthak.