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What does it mean to tell a story? What does it mean to tell a story about the self? What does the 'self' mean?
The self is the narrative construct through which we experience our identity, stitching memories, sensations, and stories into a coherent continuity. Philosophers from Plato to Locke and Hume debated the importance of memory, shaping modern philosophy of mind and narrative theory. Memory provides vital content, yet it is susceptible to distortion, raising questions about the reliability of self-knowledge. Narratives influence and are influenced by these memories, giving meaning but sometimes oversimplifying or varying wildly across cultures. Skeptics argue the self is fragmented and discontinuous; advocates counter that psychological connections and narrative coherence maintain a recognizable person over time, supporting the sense of a continuous, evolving self.
In 'Myth, Memory, Meaning' — a group exhibition at Artisera Gallery, Bangalore — exploring the self is not a linear act but a ritual of return: to the body, to forgotten symbols, and memories of the self. The four contemporary women artists featured in this exhibition — Ashu Gupta, Rakhee Shenoy, Smruthi Gargi Eswar, and Sukanya Garg — do not offer grand narratives or final answers. Instead, they trace the contours of the in-between, the overlooked, the intimate, and the sacred fragments we carry in our bodies, homes, and dreams.
Across their distinct practices, a shared inquiry explores how meaning is created — not imposed, but gradually uncovered. Myth transforms into a language of collective archetypes and personal longing. Memory becomes a material — stitched, burned, layered, and washed into surfaces. From these explorations and examinations, meaning emerges not as a fixed conclusion but as a feeling, a resonance, a presence.
Storytelling serves as both a method and a philosophy for these artists. It allows them to process time, inhabit their bodies, resist erasure, and reimagine the spiritual. This act of resistance also counters contemporaneous tendencies towards speed, amnesia, and spectacle. In their work, the personal transcends isolation; it becomes a vessel for universal desires: to be seen, to heal, to remember, and to matter.
'Myth, Memory, Meaning' is on view from July 26 to August 16, 2025, at Artisera Gallery, Indiranagar, Bangalore. Follow Artisera for more information.
