With more than 50 sculptures, paintings and frames, artist Swati Pasari’s solo exhibition Two And A Half Letters opened in the Capital on August 17. The exhibition reflects her deep engagement with spirituality, hope, happiness and the search for inner stillness. Presented by Eikowa and curated by Yash Vikram, the exhibition is on at CCA Gallery, Bikaner House, till August 22.“At the heart of the exhibition lies a simple yet profound inquiry — the universal human search for happiness, hope and inner peace. Through my works, I have created a contemplative space where spirituality meets emotion, inviting viewers to reflect on love, faith, devotion and the quiet moments of renewal that often remain unspoken. It’s more than an exhibition; it’s a journey through love, faith and the quiet emotions that connect us all. Each artwork carries a story shaped by devotion, hope and the search for inner peace,” says Swati Pasari.The title of the exhibition draws from one of Kabir’s well-known couplets:“Pothi Padh Padh Kar Jag Mua, Pandit bhayo naa koyeDhai Aakhar Prem Ke, Jo Pade so Pandit Hoye”“The world has died reading countless books, yet none became truly wise; whoever learns the two-and-a-half letters of love becomes truly wise.”For Kabir, love is not merely an emotion but a form of knowledge — an experience through which the boundaries between the self and the world begin to dissolve. This understanding resonates with Pasari’s practice, where love and happiness become less a material condition and more a pathway towards contemplation and spiritual experience.
Through Two And A Half Letters, Pasari invites audiences to engage with art as a space for meditation, reflection and emotional expression
Rooted, like Kabir, in Varanasi, Pasari’s practice emerges from a sustained engagement with the city’s philosophical and spiritual landscape. Across painting and sculpture, she gives form to states of being, intuitions, emotions and intangible experiences that often resist representation. Her abstract paintings and cast-bronze sculptures act as vessels for these encounters, inviting viewers to inhabit a space that is both contemplative and affirmative.Working across paintings, sculptures and frames, Pasari brings a distinctive sensitivity to each medium. Her artistic vocabulary is rooted in spirituality, but her works remain deeply human and universal. Rather than offering definitive answers, they leave space for personal interpretation, allowing viewers to discover their own emotional resonance within the artworks.“Swati Pasari’s work does not simply depict joy; it attempts to practise joy. Her works become a reservoir of celebration, tenderness and possibility, while remaining attentive to the uncertainties and contradictions that accompany human existence. At times, unfamiliar or otherworldly forms emerge as quiet counterpoints to the recognisable, creating a vivid space where the self can pause, wander and find comfort. Two and a Half Letters brings together works shown for the first time, marking a continued movement in Swati Pasari’s practice towards an art-making of openness, optimism and inner freedom — one that proposes joy not as an escape from life, but as a way of encountering it,” adds curator Yash Vikram.
