Inside a medieval warehouse at the historic Arsenale — located along the Venetian lagoon — one of the walls holds an oval form of earth and resin with cracked surfaces that appear fragile and primordial. The fissured terrain emerges from artist Alwar Balasubramaniam’s lived environment, away from the urban bustle, in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli. The intricate patterns themselves are the result of an intensive process that evolved over four-five months under his vigilance and reflects his preoccupation with the relationship between man and nature. At the Arsenale, it also appears to establishes a dialogue between the historic warehouse, elemental materiality and the notion of home as it represents India at its National Pavilion for the
61st edition of the Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9.

Presented by the Ministry of Culture and curated by Amin Jaffer, curator and director of Al Thani Collection, the pavilion marks India’s third official participation in the over 130-year biennale history, and its first since 2019. It brings together five contemporary artists from across the country, working with diverse mediums and artistic approaches, all uniting under Jaffer’s evocative theme, “Geographies of Distance: Remembering Home” that ponders the very idea of home. “The pavilion explores home not as a fixed physical location but as an emotional space carried within the self, a repository of culture, personal mythology and emotion. Using materials associated closely with Indian civilisation, the chosen artists create a singular meditation on the fragile nature of home, which is both personal and universal, quiet and resolute,” states Jaffer. He notes how the project also responds to the biennale’s larger theme this year, “In Minor Keys” conceived by the late curator Koyo Kouoh.

So if Balasubramaniam has worked with natural elements for his two works, Drift and Not Just For Us, artist Asim Waqif has used bamboo, a material he has engaged with for over three decades. Winner of the National Award at Lalit Kala Akademi’s 64th National Exhibition, Skarma Sonam Tashi will be presenting an installation that is informed by the landscape and cultural ecology of Ladakh, and uses materials such as clay, cardboard and papier-mâché to reflect on themes of fragility, impermanence and transformation in contemporary times.

In Sumakshi Singh’s installation, she takes forward her earlier work 33 Link Road, where she had recreated her grandparents’ now demolished Delhi home in delicate thread and embroidery that gave the structure fluidity often not associated with rigid concrete structures. Deeply embedded within Indian civilisational history, the materiality also moves beyond the personal into the historical, intertwining memory, architecture and cultural inheritance.

Balasubramanian notes how the very idea of home expands through his works. “The earth from my studio represents a direct contact with me, but it has potential to make viewers to see and reflect or remember their home,” he states.

Ranjani Shettar’s work, titled Under the Same Sky, develops from her long engagement with natural materials and organic forms. Referencing varied topographies, the dense installation in handwoven cotton fabric, lacquer and steel is composed of more than 50 suspended elements that respond not only to shifting light and shadow, but also the movement of viewers who can walk through the immersive environment. “There is a visual harmony. It’s like a piece of music where the eyes can trace the ups and downs ,” says Shettar, describing how the final composition has evolved through improvisation and subtle adjustments. Home, she adds, is also a state of mind, where one feels a sense of belonging and ease.

The central exhibition “In Minor Keys” includes works by Sohrab Hura and artist duo Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin and David Soin Tappeser).

KNMA will present Nalini Malani’s “Of Woman Born” at Magazzini del Sale. The 67-channel animation and soundscape will transform the venue into a constantly shifting “thought chamber” on women, myth and global conflict.

Archivio di Stato is showing Dayanita Singh’s “Archivio”. Curated by Andrea Anastasio, the exhibition is a tribute to both the Italian archives she has photographed over the past decade and her own archive of images made in Italy over the last 25 years.

Pinault Collection is presenting Amar Kanwar’s “Co-Travellers” at Palazzo Grassi. Curated by Palazzo Grassi, it features two key multimedia installations: The Torn First Pages and The Peacock’s Graveyard.

Paresh Maity will be exhibiting his sculpture Equilibrium at Marinaressa Gardens. Presented by Art Alive Gallery, the geometric brass structure embodies both strength and refinement.

Pooja Singhal, founder of atelier Pichvai Tradition & Beyond, will present “From India, to Venice” at Palazzo Barbaro. The exhibition will include temple maps and works that draw from Venetian painter Giovanni Antonio Canal.