I Tell You: Suns Exist

8 September – 21 October 2023
Archer Art Gallery, Ahmedabad, India
Presented by Archer Art Gallery

I Tell You: Suns Exist was a solo exhibition by Seema Kohli held in Ahmedabad from 8 September to 21 October 2023. The exhibition brought together a body of recent paintings and works on paper that expanded Kohli’s imaginative universe while reflecting on ecological transformations and the fragile balance between nature and urban life.

The works in the exhibition emerged from Kohli’s close observation of the changing landscape around her home in Delhi, particularly the ecological shifts affecting the Aravalli region. The rapid expansion of urban development and the resulting disappearance of wildlife from once-forested areas informed many of the narratives within the paintings. Deer, monkeys, birds, and other creatures appeared throughout the works, not merely as representations of nature but as symbolic presences within an interconnected cosmological world.

Kohli envisioned a universe where the boundaries between human, animal, and plant life dissolved into fluid states of existence. Her imagery suggested a realm where all beings coexisted in harmony, reflecting her long-standing philosophical engagement with interconnectedness and the cyclical nature of life. Through this visual language, the works proposed a gentler and more inclusive vision of the future — one where humanity rediscovered its relationship with the natural world.

Executed in luminous layers of colour and intricate line, the paintings featured Kohli’s characteristic use of gold leaf, which created surfaces that seemed to glow from within. Cooler hues of violet, blue, and pink entered the palette, producing dreamlike landscapes populated by hybrid figures, celestial skies, and mythical environments. The layered technique allowed forms to emerge gradually, giving the works a sense of inner radiance and movement.

A recurring presence across the paintings was the feminine figure — resilient, expansive, and central to the unfolding narratives. Moving freely across skies, landscapes, and cosmic spaces, these figures embodied Shakti, the generative feminine energy that lies at the heart of Kohli’s artistic philosophy. Their flowing hair and dynamic gestures conveyed freedom and transformation, positioning women not as passive subjects but as active creators and guardians of their worlds.

Several works depicted scenes where everyday moments dissolved into fantastical visions. In paintings such as those centred around the motif of the Tree of Life, gatherings of women beneath a great tree transformed into dreamlike narratives where wings appeared, figures ascended into the sky, and mythic beings emerged from the landscape. These scenes echoed ancient cosmological imagery while remaining deeply rooted in contemporary experience.

At the same time, the exhibition addressed the vulnerability of ecosystems. Animals that once roamed freely through the Aravalli forests appeared within the paintings as protected, observed, or imagined presences. Kohli’s works suggested both memory and possibility — recalling a lost ecological harmony while envisioning a future in which humans and other life forms might once again coexist.

Through I Tell You: Suns Exist, Kohli expanded her ongoing exploration of myth, ecology, and the feminine principle. The exhibition offered viewers an immersive visual world where lived experience, memory, and imagination converged — inviting reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature and the cosmic rhythms that bind all existence.