On Absence
The Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is proud to announce its winter exhibition, On Absence, on view from November 13 2015 through May 15 2026, celebrated with an opening reception on Thursday November 13th, 2025 from 5-7:30PM. Curated and co-curated by Achia Anzi and Oorja Garg, the exhibition explores the dynamics of absence and presence through the artworks of contemporary Indian artists. Experimenting with the impossible task of displaying nothingness, the exhibition explores the political possibilities opened up by the art of concealment.
To display absence is not only impossible but also counterintuitive, as art, at least in its current form, engages with showing, unfolding, and revealing. The artworks on display experiment with the impossible and counterintuitive task of displaying absence. How can one show absence? How to hide instead of reveal? And what are the political possibilities opened up by the art of concealment? The works in this exhibition explore themes specific to the South Asian experience, including the politics of caste, the legacies of colonialism, the intergenerational impact of partition, gaps in the historical record, and pervasive histories of communal violence.
The exhibition assembles the works of artists Payal Arya, Yogesh Barve, Sonam Chaturvedi, Priyanka D’Souza, Priyesh Gothwal, Priyank Gothwal, Shilpa Gupta, Rahul Juneja, Shaurya Kumar, Swati Kumari, Raqs Media Collective, and Mohit Shelare.
