“Memory often gathers like clouds. At times it becomes dense and heavy, at others light and drifting,” says artist Debasish Mukherjee. “There are moments when even a strong light cannot pass through it, and others when the faintest sound finds its way in.”
These reflections form the conceptual foundation of Mukherjee’s recently concluded exhibition ‘Abr Kyā Chīz Hai? / What Really Is a Cloud’ at Delhi’s Akar Prakar Gallery. Emerging from over three decades of the artist’s life in the capital, the exhibition explores memory, space, and displacement—ideas that have long remained central to his artistic practice.
The title of the show draws inspiration from a celebrated couplet by Mirza Ghalib:
Sabza o gul kahāñ se aa.e haiñ,
abr kyā chiiz hai havā kyā hai
In the verse, the poet marvels at the physical world, questioning the nature of plants, clouds, and wind, suggesting that these elements might be illusions or manifestations of a divine mystery. Mukherjee’s works echo this curiosity, reflecting on the shifting and elusive nature of memory and belonging.
For the artist, the exhibition also traces a personal journey shaped by migration and time. Mukherjee often thinks of his life as unfolding in two distinct chapters. “The first belongs to my childhood and formative years in Chapra (Bihar) and Benares. The second began in 1994 when I moved to Delhi. This chapter has now extended for more than thirty years and has become the larger part of my life. Looking back, I realise how complex and transformative this journey has been, both personally and professionally,” he says.
The exhibition brings together works that combine writing, recording, and image-making, growing out of personal observation and introspection—almost resembling a diary. “In recent years, I began noticing a growing difficulty in recalling the names and faces of people I meet. In contrast, older memories remain vivid and sharply detailed,” he explains. “This created an urgency to recall and record fragments of life before they slowly fade.”
Mukherjee started documenting events from the past three decades, noting people, conversations, encounters, and moments that shaped his thinking. “I could see how these interactions enriched my journey and quietly influenced my choices,” he says. “The process felt similar to making notes in a diary, where thoughts, fragments, and observations accumulate without a rigid structure.”
Textiles also appear in the exhibition as a medium, carrying both personal and cultural associations. Another recurring motif is the telephone. Mukherjee recalls feeling lost and out of place when he first moved to Delhi, where visiting a Public Call Office (PCO) became a regular habit. “Calling family and friends back home helped me cope with that sense of isolation and uncertainty. In many ways, those brief conversations kept me going during the early years," adds the artist.
Over time, the telephone became more than just an object. Mukherjee reflects: “It became a witness to countless voices and emotions, a quiet keeper of conversations that were never recorded yet remained deeply meaningful. In the context of the exhibition, it functions as a delicate archive of fleeting human connections, standing in contrast to today’s digital world, where communication is constantly stored yet often feels less intimate.”