Dhara Mehrotra is a visual artist, based out of Bangalore, India. She has an M.F.A in Painting from College of Art, Delhi University, India. She was the Visiting Artist Fellow at Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, exhibited as part of British Textile Biennial 2023, Lancashire UK. Presently ongoing Art project in collaboration with MIT Cambridge, PLS lab MA USA (2024-25).
Dhara is the recipient of Swapan Biswas award for academic excellence in India, and also the junior fellowship award from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She has been an artist-in-residence at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR-NCBS) Bangalore 2018-19, resulting in an exhibition titled ‘Through Clusters and Networks’. She has also been a Meta (Facebook) artist-in-residence culminating in ‘Flux’, art installation at the Meta (Facebook) campus in Hyderabad 2021 India. Other exhibitions and installation projects include: India Art Fair, New Delhi 2024, 2023, 2022, Art Singapore 2024, FMI Goethe Institut New Delhi and Kolkata in collaboration with Raqs Media Collective 2019, Aicon Contemporary New York 2020-24, The Anant Art New Delhi 2021-22. Mehrotra has showcased works at the ‘Museum Of Sacred Arts’ (MOSA) Belgium, at The China Art Museum in Shanghai and at the University of California, amongst other participations.
SP: Traditional canvas as well as tactile fibres like jute and coir are among the materials you work with. Could you tell us about how you choose the right medium for a particular work to express the ecological stories you care about, and what message you hope to communicate through your work?
DM: I explore and work around the idea of self-organization, as observed particularly in clusters and networks found in nature. The choice of medium stems, essentially from the story or ecological phenomena I intend to explore. While traditional canvas allows for painterly depth, the circular format subconsciously echoes observations through the microscope, Petri dish cultures, and the celestial forms of spherical bodies. Natural materials such as fiber, jute, coir, and yarns, employed in the process of recursive weaving of interlaced strands in the work; imply amorphous shapes, textures, and surfaces, to the abstract and the unknown.
These choices aspire to highlight the silent yet brilliant workings of nature, inviting viewers into a space of reflection and wonder about the hidden networks that sustain life. The Message that the work hopes to communicate is one of interdependence, resilience, and deep respect for the delicate fabric of life that binds us to the natural world.
SP: How has the intersection of art and science in your art practice influenced your artistic journey, and what first piqued your interest in it?
DM: In pursuit of stories around clusters and networks, I had the opportunity to witness some of these unfolding up-close, as part of artist-in-residence outreach program with NCBS-TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) labs, Bangalore India in 2018-19. One such epiphany was when I observed the intricate networks of gossamered mycelium in soil, under the microscope. The hidden, complex communication nets and symbiotic relationships in these systems resonated deeply with me, paralleling larger ecosystems and even human connections.
SP: How has the intersection of art and science in your art practice influenced your artistic journey, and what first piqued your interest in it?
DM: In pursuit of stories around clusters and networks, I had the opportunity to witness some of these unfolding up-close, as part of artist-in-residence outreach program with NCBS-TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) labs, Bangalore India in 2018-19. One such epiphany was when I observed the intricate networks of gossamered mycelium in soil, under the microscope. The hidden, complex communication nets and symbiotic relationships in these systems resonated deeply with me, paralleling larger ecosystems and even human connections.
This experience cultivated a dual lens in my practice — one grounded in scientific inquiry, where I draw from research and data, and the other guided by artistic intuition, translating these findings into abstract forms and material explorations. This fusion allows me to question, interpret, reimagine and engage with the unseen complexity and poetry of the natural world.
More recently as part of Visiting Artist Fellowship at Harvard University, 2023, I got a chance to explore the wider ecosphere of soil and mycelium, deepening the inquiry towards data, signal to noise interpretations and communication language of sorts across visible and hidden landscapes, expanding the scope in my work.
SP: Could you walk us through the exhibition “Through Clusters and Networks’’ and how the scientific research environment influenced your investigation into mycelium?
DM: Through Clusters and Networks (2019) was my first institutional solo exhibition as part of a project at the NCBS-TIFR Museum, Bangalore.
The exhibition featured seven key exhibits including two videos, offering a glimpse into nature’s parallel universe — an intricate world that has existed for millions of years but has only recently been explored. Developed during the Artist-in-Residence Program, the exhibits sought to bridge artistic intuition with the precision and rigor of scientific inquiry.
The show constituted three circular paintings on canvas, interpreting fungal networks through iridescent, intricately hued structures inspired by microscopic imagery of petri dish cultures observed in the lab. The centrepiece was a freestanding spherical fiberglass installation titled The Wood-Wide Web, presenting the mycelium networks in multidimensional form, extending beyond two-dimensional representations to articulate their complex and dynamic nature. The wall installation ‘Nest’ abstracted the intricate nesting structures found in insect colonies, some of which farm fungal gardens for sustenance. A swarm of delicate, polymer-winged damselflies, remnants of an earlier exploration of clusters, appears to emerge from dark fissures in the walls, departing towards an unseen destination. Enmeshed through the nest are filigree-thin golden nets, symbolizing the precious, cohabiting non-human ecosystems, as poignant reminders to honour and preserve these fragile worlds.
SP: In what ways do achievements and global recognition shape the artist in you? How do you deal with obstacles and accomplishments in your creative endeavours?
DM: Achievements and recognition serve as affirmations that the work resonates beyond its immediate context, offering glimpses into the ways ideas interact with diverse audiences. I try to view that as catalysts for deeper exploration and connection than endpoints and as milestones over purpose. They are reminders of a privilege and responsibility, as an artist to explore, question, and contribute meaningfully to the discourse. Recognition also expands the ecosystem of conversations one can engage in — collaborations, cross-disciplinary exchanges, and access to platforms that could amplify ideas, evolving in ways I might not have imagined otherwise.
I like to believe that obstacles can be opportunities for growth; and accomplishments as milestones to celebrate and reflect upon. Both are essential to stay rooted and push to reimagine approaches and explore new pathways.
SP: Are there any upcoming exhibitions or collaborative projects you are looking ahead to?
DM: There are a few exhibitions as part of Art Fairs and group shows in coming months. One of the very exciting collaborative projects I am working on is with the PLS Lab at MIT (Cambridge | Massachusetts | USA), that are reflections on the lab’s work around chiral crystals and their fascinating organisational phenomena. This project is likely to unfold towards the later part of 2025, which I am eagerly looking forward to. I am also excited to present a site specific wall installation as part of the British Textile Biennale in 2025, at Lancashire UK.
SP: How do you think your art will encourage people to establish deeper connections with the natural world and their surroundings?
DM: My art seeks to act as a bridge between observation and introspection, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the intricate patterns and systems inherent in the natural world. By drawing parallels between randomness, structure, and self-organization at micro and macro scales, I hope to evoke curiosity and a sense of wonder.
Through visuals, textures, and storytelling, I encourage perception of the interconnectedness between all things and to appreciate the inherent delicate balance in nature. Hopefully steering the viewer towards a renewed sense of responsibility; fostering deeper, meaningful connections.
SP: What advice would you share with the young emerging talents who are trying to find their artistic voices in the art world? Also, what are your thoughts about the ongoing contemporary art practices globally?
DM: Embracing patience and authenticity would be my foremost suggestion to emerging talents across all artistic disciplines. Approaching one’s path as a journey of self-exploration, perseverance, trusting intuition, staying curious, and letting the work evolve organically rather than giving in to external pressures or trends.
Regarding contemporary art practices globally, there’s an exciting shift toward interdisciplinary approaches; such as science, technology, and socio-political. This convergence reflects the complexities of our time and fosters inclusivity in artistic narratives.
Image Courtesy: Dhara Mehrotra
Find out more about the artist and her artworks: https://www.dharamehrotra.com/
