A line begins at one edge of the paper. It thickens, fades, bends, and gathers into dense sections before opening out again. There is no clear starting point or centre—just a continuous build of ink across a large surface. Up close, the pressure of the hand is visible. From a distance, the drawing expands into something that feels architectural, almost like a structure taking shape through repetition and variation. This is how French artist Thomas Henriot approaches drawing in The Weight of Light, now on view at Art Centrix Space. Working with Chinese ink on Japanese paper, he creates each piece in one sustained act.
A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Besançon, Henriot also studied at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in China. The works in this exhibition emerge from a recent residency across India, with references to sites such as Basubati Palace, Jodhpur, and Varanasi. These locations do not appear as recognisable forms; instead, they register through force and proportion—through how the line stretches, and occupies the page. Built structures are translated into rhythms that suggest enclosure without ever settling into depiction. “Over the years, what has remained constant in my work is the use of ink and brush on paper. This technique, which does not allow me to erase anything, has been the vertebral column of my work from the beginning, and I remain increasingly fascinated by the magic of ink on paper,” says the 46-year-old artist.
How has his work evolved over the years? The artist laughs. “It is difficult to summarise, because we are speaking about 25 years of commitment to painting. I began working with ink and brush at 18. Around that time, I started reading texts on Chinese painting, especially François Cheng, through his monographs on the painters Shi Tao and Zhu Da. This is when I became interested in the idea of the cosmic origin of the stroke. As a student, I was also practising serigraphy and lithography, which had a strong influence on my work. Over the years, what has changed is my capacity for concentration,” he says. Each geography, each country he works in, becomes a condition to develop a particular aspect of his practice. But what remains constant is his commitment to the work. “In a way, I always feel like I am just beginning,” he says.
The drawings extend into another material language through a collaboration with Brochier Soieries. Using jacquard weaving, the line is reconstituted in silk, cotton, and gold thread, where it no longer flows freely but is held within the grid of the loom. What was once a single gesture becomes a field of crossings, each thread locking into another to rebuild the image. A large textile based on Basubati Palace stands out, its surface carrying the original movement while asserting a new density and tactility. “When we translate the paintings into textile pieces, I see it as a reincarnation, a new life for the paintings, another form. In a way that relates to Hindu philosophy, I consider the painting as alive. It is also a way to create a different texture. The biggest difference is in the process,” he says.
Gold runs through the exhibition not as embellishment but as an active surface—catching light, dispersing it, altering the work as one moves around it. Across paper and textile, the drawings refuse a single reading; they contract, expand, and reorganise themselves with every change in vantage. Ask him about it and he offers a simple analogy: “My process is very close to a writing process. I feel myself painting, but it is almost like writing. Each series responds to its own circumstances, but each one remains a distinct story within the larger body of work.”
In the end, it is the line that endures—unyielding, continuous, carrying within it both control and abandon.
When & Where
The Weight of Light; Till May 12; Art Centrix Space, Delhi