Posted on 20 June 2026:
The Shape of Absence: Mapping Memory, Loss and Presence Through Contemporary Art
At the Ramkinkar Exhibition Hall, Siliguri, the Dooars Artists Group (DAG) unveiled– The Shape of Absence, a profound group exhibition curated by Mrinal Kanti Roy, held from 15 to 17 June 2026. Seventeen artists from diverse cultural horizons converged to explore absence—not as void, but as a fertile space where memory, identity, longing and human ties are continually reimagined.
Inaugurated by Mrs. Kakali Basu, Principal of Bani Mandir Railway Higher Secondary School, Siliguri, and Mr. Sujit Raha, advocate, environmentalist and art enthusiast, the event underscored the role of art in nurturing reflection and dialogue within the region.
The Shape of Absence: Contemporary Voices from Eastern and Northeastern India
Seventeen artists—After Ali Raj, Aloke Dutta, Batliakor Laitthma, Biswanath Dey, Careen Joplin Longstieh, Dhiraj Ray, Joydeep Bhattacharjee, Kaushik Kalita, Lohit Rajbangshi, Mrinal Kanti Roy, Priti Tamot, Puspen Roy, Sampa Kar, Sandip Sen, Sourav Das, Swapan Kumar Mallick and Tuhin Ghose—came together to illuminate the richness of contemporary practices emerging from Eastern and Northeastern India.
Curator Mrinal Kanti Roy reflected: “At a time when contemporary art is increasingly concerned with issues of displacement, fragmentation and psychological uncertainty, ‘The Shape of Absence’ offered a thoughtful platform for artistic reflection. Its strength lay in thematic coherence while allowing individual artists to retain their distinct visual languages. Rather than presenting absence as a singular experience, the participating artists approached it from multiple perspectives: personal memory, social alienation, ecological concern, cultural transition and existential inquiry.”
Through scrolls, figurative works, mixed-media explorations, and symbolic abstractions, absence was transformed into presence—an active force shaping meaning through silence, memory, and unseen traces. The exhibition became not only a showcase of diversity but also a contemplative dialogue, affirming art’s power to turn loss into resonance and invisibility into vision.
With its layered voices and resonant themes, ‘The Shape of Absence’ stands as a luminous contribution to North Bengal’s cultural landscape, weaving silence into presence and loss into enduring meaning.
The show lingered as a quiet testament to memory, loss and presence, enriching North Bengal’s cultural horizon.
Images: Mrinal Kanti Roy
