Bharti Kher's Captivating Comeback: A Painting Odyssey of Memory and Intuition

In October 2025, renowned Indian artist Bharti Kher is making a triumphant return to the art scene with her first solo exhibition in Paris in over 2 decades. The exhibition, titled "The Sun Splitting Stones," is a captivating exploration of memory, intuition, and the complexities of human experience.

Kher's journey back to painting has been a profound one. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the artist found herself in a place of darkness, where the shadows weighed heavily. It was during this time that Kher rediscovered her passion for painting, as the medium offered her a pathway through the malaise. As she describes, "Painting called me back to her. In my dreams mostly and the days I stayed in bed."

The exhibition at Perrotin Paris showcases Kher's mastery in both painting and sculpture. The "Weather Paintings" series presents a web of contours in darkened and bright shades, creating a kinetic insignia that reflects the sleight of hand. Kher's sculptures, such as "Alchemist" and "Stone, Paper, Scissors," blend a melange of materials, including paper, steel, wood, wax, and sari, to convey a sense of feminine corollaries and symbolic transformation.

Throughout the exhibition, Kher's works captivate the viewer, drawing them into the miasma of memory and the oscillating power of observation. Her ability to balance materials of weight with lithe lines and charismatic ripples of thought defines her practice, as she explores the complexities of feminine identities and the eternal partnership between life and poetry.