Paper Alchemy : Tracing Memories Through Time

Paper Alchemy marks a milestone as Great Banyan Art unveils its collection of works on paper for the first time. Featuring over 100 artworks from the 18th to 21st centuries, the exhibition explores the enduring relationship between paper and artistic expression in India. From the company school era to modernist experiments and contemporary practices, the show traces how artists have transformed this fragile yet resilient material into a powerful medium for storytelling, memory, and innovation. Techniques such as watercolour, gouache, etching, aquatint, and photography reflect paper’s evolving role in Indian art—from historical documentation to personal reflection and political critique.

By juxtaposing historical and contemporary works, Paper Alchemy creates a dynamic dialogue between past and present—inviting viewers to consider how paper, humble in form, becomes a site of transformation. More than the sum of its fibers, it emerges as a transcendent medium that continues to shape the story of Indian art.