Gallerie Splash presents Ratan Parimoo: Grammar of Seeing – A Retrospective of Becoming, a landmark exhibition curated by Satyajit Dave, celebrating the artistic journey of one of India's most significant art historian, educator and modernist painter. The exhibition will be held at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Bikaner House, New Delhi, from 12 June …
Gallerie Splash presents Ratan Parimoo: Grammar of Seeing – A Retrospective of Becoming, a landmark exhibition curated by Satyajit Dave, celebrating the artistic journey of one of India’s most significant art historian, educator and modernist painter. The exhibition will be held at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Bikaner House, New Delhi, from 12 June to 16 June 2026, and brings together an extensive body of work spanning several decades of Parimoo’s creative practice and the show will continue from 17th June to 15th July at Gallerie Splash Gurgaon from 11am to 7pm.
Featuring paintings, prints, drawings, collages, archival documents, photographs, letters, and personal writings, the exhibition offers a rare and comprehensive insight into the evolution of Parimoo’s artistic language. More than a retrospective, Grammar of Seeing examines the relationship between observation, memory, pedagogy, material experimentation, and abstraction that has defined Parimoo’s lifelong engagement with art.
The exhibition traces Parimoo’s journey from his early academic studies and Kashmir-inspired works to the development of a distinctive abstract vocabulary. Through life studies, landscapes, sketches, ink works, collages, and chromatic abstractions, viewers witness how the artist transformed observation into an increasingly sophisticated exploration of form, rhythm, colour, and spatial relationships.
A central feature of the exhibition is its integration of archival material within the curatorial narrative. Personal correspondence, photographs, lecture notes, exhibition invitations, catalogues, and writings are presented alongside artworks, offering audiences a deeper understanding of Parimoo’s intellectual and creative world. These materials reveal the interconnected roles he played as artist, scholar, teacher, researcher, and institution builder.
Curator Satyajit Dave describes the exhibition as “a corrective act of looking,” inviting audiences to reconsider Ratan Parimoo’s place within the history of Indian modernism. The exhibition foregrounds his pioneering contributions to abstraction, particularly his early experimentation with materials such as sand, pigment, glue, pebbles, and textured surfaces, positioning him as a significant figure in the material history of Indian abstract art.
The exhibition unfolds across three thematic sections: The Observed World, Between Memory and Method, and Abstraction Becomes Language. Together, they reveal how Parimoo’s abstraction emerged not through a break from representation but through sustained observation, perceptual memory, formal discipline, and material inquiry.
Speaking about the exhibition, Jinoy Payyappilly, Director of Gallerie Splash, said:
“This exhibition is a celebration of an extraordinary artistic and intellectual journey that has shaped generations of artists, scholars, and viewers alike. Bringing together works from across decades alongside rare archival material, this retrospective offers a deeper understanding of Parimoo’s sustained engagement with observation, experimentation, and the language of form. Through Grammar of Seeing, we invite audiences to experience the many layers of his practice, where making, thinking, and seeing become inseparable acts of creative inquiry.”
Born in Srinagar in 1936, Ratan Parimoo is widely recognised as one of India’s leading art historians and educators. A co-founder of the Baroda Group of Artists in 1956, he played a pivotal role in shaping modern art discourse in post-independence India. As Professor and Head of the Department of Art History and Aesthetics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda, he influenced generations of artists and scholars through his interdisciplinary approach to teaching, research, and artistic practice.
Grammar of Seeing offers audiences an opportunity to engage with the full breadth of Parimoo’s legacy and to rediscover an artist whose contribution to Indian modernism extends far beyond the classroom and the archive.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Ratan Parimoo: Grammar of Seeing – A Retrospective of Becoming
Curator: Satyajit Dave
Presented by: Gallerie Splash
Preview: 12 June 2026 | 6:30 PM
Exhibition Dates: 12–16 June 2026
Timings: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Venue:
Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA)
Bikaner House
Pandara Road, India Gate Circle
New Delhi – 110003
Continuation of Exhibition:
17th June to 15th July 2026
Gallerie Splash Gurgaon
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
About Gallerie Splash
Founded in 2010 by Jinoy Payyappilly, Gallerie Splash is a contemporary art institution committed to research-driven artistic and curatorial practices. Through exhibitions, fellowships, workshops, and interdisciplinary programmes, the gallery supports emerging and established artists while fostering critical dialogue across art, design, architecture, and material-based practices. Its annual Curatorial Fellowship Program continues to create opportunities for new voices and innovative approaches within South Asia’s evolving cultural landscape.
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