Mumbai’s Tao Art Gallery will present The Shapes of Elsewhere, a solo exhibition by artist Kalpana Shah, curated by Arnaud Morand, from October 12 to November 15, 2026. The exhibition marks Shah’s return to the gallery with a solo showcase after 11 years and brings together paintings and spatial installations that explore themes of memory, architecture and imagination. The exhibition traces different phases of her practice while examining how places continue to shape personal experience long after they have been left behind.
A Return After More Than a Decade
The Shapes of Elsewhere unfolds through three interconnected chapters that reflect the evolution of Shah’s visual language. Rather than presenting a straightforward transition from figurative imagery to abstraction, the exhibition examines how recurring gestures, layered surfaces and repeated marks shift across different forms and mediums. Visitors encounter architectural compositions, circular abstract works and newly commissioned three-dimensional pieces that extend painting into physical space.
The exhibition also marks an important moment in Shah’s artistic journey. A self-taught artist, collector and founder of Tao Art Gallery, she developed a distinctive knife-work technique in acrylic painting and has exhibited widely in India and internationally. Her practice has expanded over the years to include installation-based works and explorations of materiality.
Memory, Home and the Idea of Elsewhere
Curated by Arnaud Morand, the exhibition draws inspiration from Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space. The concept of the house serves as a central point of departure, not simply as architecture but as a place shaped by memory, intimacy and imagination. Shah’s paintings depict dwellings that appear familiar yet remain difficult to locate geographically, encouraging viewers to project their own recollections and associations onto the works.
As the exhibition progresses, these architectural references gradually dissolve into abstract fields of colour and gesture. The works move between recognisable landscapes and imagined worlds, reflecting on how memory can transform physical places into emotional and psychological spaces.
Three Chapters of the Exhibition
The exhibition is structured around three thematic sections:
- Liminal Homes – paintings inspired by remembered houses, settlements and domestic spaces.
- Before the Horizon Disappears – circular abstractions that shift attention from architecture to rhythm, repetition and atmosphere.
- Elsewhere – large-scale paintings and sculptural installations that transform painted surfaces into immersive environments.
Among the featured works are architectural paintings such as The Dream (2024), expansive multi-panel compositions including Horizon Appears (2026), and newly commissioned three-dimensional structures that create an architectural presence within the gallery space.
About the Artist
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Born in Mumbai, Kalpana Shah has worked across painting, sculpture and installation. Alongside her artistic practice, she founded Tao Art Gallery in 2000, helping establish it as a significant platform for contemporary Indian art. Over the years, the gallery has presented exhibitions featuring established and emerging artists while also supporting educational and cultural programmes.
Shah’s recent exhibitions include My Universe in Singapore, Merging Dreams at the Indian Museum in Kolkata and Inner Realms at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. Her work is characterised by an ongoing interest in texture, repetition and abstraction.
Curatorial Perspective
Morand, an independent curator known for his work across Europe and the Middle East, frames the exhibition as a journey through different forms of dwelling and perception. His catalogue essay suggests that the exhibition moves from remembered architecture to abstract space and ultimately into environments that viewers can physically navigate. The exhibition therefore shifts the experience of painting from observation toward participation.
Visitor Information
| Event Name | Details |
| Title | The Shapes of Elsewhere |
| Artist | Kalpana Shah |
| Curator | Arnaud Morand |
| Venue | Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai, India |
| Exhibition Dates | October 12 – November 15, 2026 |
| Organiser | Tao Art Gallery |
| Website | https://www.taoartgallery.com |
Takeaway
Through paintings, abstractions and spatial installations, The Shapes of Elsewhere reflects on the relationship between memory and place. By moving between architecture and abstraction, Kalpana Shah invites audiences to consider how personal histories continue to shape the spaces we inhabit. The exhibition offers a thoughtful exploration of dwelling, imagination and belonging within a contemporary artistic framework.
