Contemporary artist Ashima Dhir Sehgal, who works under the name A.D.S., will present What Was Here?, her first solo exhibition in India, at LTC Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi, from 7 to 11 October 2026. The exhibition brings together textile, photography, sculpture and installation to explore a central question: can matter retain memory after human presence has disappeared?
Exploring the Memory of Matter
At the core of the exhibition is an investigation into what remains after people leave a place. Through a series of interconnected works, Sehgal examines whether architecture, objects and materials can preserve traces of lived experience. Rather than documenting historic structures directly, the artist invites viewers to reconsider familiar architectural spaces and imagine the lives that once unfolded within them.
The exhibition develops as a visual journey. Architectural imagery gradually becomes fragmented and layered, while material interventions increasingly take precedence. Images dissolve into texture, thread and surface, creating a shift from representation toward physical experience.
From Architecture to Installation
The works are created through processes including stitching, staining, burning, perforating, abrading and unravelling. Materials such as silk organza, discarded thread, cocoons, charcoal, ash and ink become integral to the artistic language, functioning not simply as mediums but as records of transformation and time.
The exhibition culminates in a large-scale house installation assembled from fragments, textiles, light and traces accumulated throughout the exhibition. Rather than reconstructing a specific building, the installation creates an environment where viewers can physically enter a space shaped by memory and absence.
Exhibition Highlights
- Textile-based works incorporating stitching and layered surfaces
- Photography that examines architectural memory
- Sculptural works extending beyond the picture plane
- A site-responsive house installation
- Explorations of material transformation through ash, thread and organic remnants
An Unconventional Artistic Journey
Sehgal’s path into contemporary art has been notably unconventional. She began her professional life as a lawyer before stepping away from legal practice to focus on motherhood. Later, she returned to law and eventually transitioned toward a multidisciplinary artistic practice without formal art school training. Her work has evolved from examining human silence and inner experience to investigating memory, materiality and architecture.
Artist residencies in Himachal Pradesh and Vietnam further shaped this shift, encouraging deeper engagement with place, material and the traces left by lived experience. These interests now form the foundation of her current enquiry into whether matter itself can hold memory.
International Recognition
In recent years, Sehgal’s work has been included in more than 40 exhibitions and art platforms across India and internationally. Her exhibitions have included presentations at ARTMUC Munich, Arte Genova, the Sanremo Biennale and MAD New York. She also represented India at ARMA Museum in Bali during commemorations marking 75 years of India–Indonesia diplomatic relations. Recent milestones include selection for the 21st Arte Laguna Prize 2026 and participation in the Florence Biennale 2027 Fibre Art category.
Curatorial and Institutional Support
What Was Here? has been developed through conversations with Lekha Poddar, founder of the Devi Art Foundation, and with curatorial guidance from Pooja Sood, Director of Khoj International Artists’ Association, a Delhi-based organisation known for supporting experimental and interdisciplinary contemporary art practices in South Asia.
The exhibition will be staged at LTC Gallery within Bikaner House, a venue that regularly hosts contemporary art exhibitions and cultural programmes in New Delhi.
Visitor Information
| Event | Details |
| Title | What Was Here? |
| Artist | Ashima Dhir Sehgal (A.D.S.) |
| Venue | LTC Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi, India |
| Opening Date | 7 October 2026 |
| Exhibition Dates | 7–11 October 2026 |
| Organiser | LTC Gallery with curatorial guidance from Pooja Sood and support from Khoj International Artists’ Association |
| Entry / Tickets | Not specified |
| Website | https://khojstudios.org/ |
Takeaway
With What Was Here?, Ashima Dhir Sehgal presents an exploration of memory that moves beyond representation into material experience. By bringing together architecture, textile practices, photography and installation, the exhibition encourages visitors to consider how places and objects accumulate traces of human presence over time. The project contributes to ongoing conversations in contemporary art about memory, materiality and the ways in which cultural histories are preserved, transformed and reimagined.
