Immiscible Impressions

Immiscible Impressions is the third exhibition in as many years at the gallery to focus on printmaking. Untouched, Backwards and Under Pressure (2023) foregrounded process, emphasizing the creation of the matrix and the role of the artist’s proof, while Resonance of the Singular (2024) examined the position of single-edition prints—monotypes, monoprints, and chine-collé—within a medium defined by multiplicity. The present exhibition departs from this approach by undertaking a focused examination of lithography, one of the oldest and most versatile printmaking techniques.

Often described as an extension of drawing or painting, lithography nevertheless encompasses a wide range of possibilities. While stone remains the matrix most closely associated with the medium, metal and plastic plates are equally significant, each producing distinct visual and material outcomes. This exhibition presents three principal variants: stone lithography, plate lithography, and photolithography, the latter incorporating photographic processes to merge mechanical reproduction with hand-drawn traditions.

Immiscible Impressions brings together the work of senior practitioners alongside that of emerging and mid career artists. Ajit Seal, Akbar Padamsee, Jyoti Bhatt, Kavita Shah and Sushanta Guha represent sustained engagements with lithography over decades of practice. They are joined by a younger generation that includes Subrat Kumar Behera—founder of the lithography-focused studio Litholekha—along with Sidhartha SN, Chhering Negi, Aadya Kumari and Wanhi i Challam, several of whom are recent graduates or currently pursuing postgraduate study. Interestingly, across generations central themes emerge – lithography emerges as a deeply committed practice, often central to how artists think, draw, and conceive images, even when it is not their primary medium.

Together, the works on view offer a broad survey of contemporary lithographic practice: from monochrome to richly layered colour prints; from works that remain rooted in the fundamentals of the medium to those that integrate newer technologies such as animation. Seen collectively, the exhibition affirms lithography not as a singular method, but as a dynamic field shaped by material choice, technical nuance, and evolving artistic intent.