conartAlchemy of Matter, a historic exhibition organised by Rahul Bhattacharya and highlighting the revolutionary studio culture of Baroda, is presented by The Lexicon Art. This show examines a fundamental change in artistic practice—a rethinking of materiality that questions conventional wisdom and reinterprets the function of materials in modern art—and includes pieces by 16 renowned artists. Baroda, which was once known as the birthplace of the narrative movement and subsequently as a bastion of mediatic realism, is today a place of intense experimentation.
By encouraging creative approaches to both conventional and unconventional materials, the city’s studios have developed into hubs for intergenerational discussion. Not only are artists working with materials like canvas, clay, glass and bronze, but they are also repoliticizing them, giving them new cultural meaning and semantic dimensions.
Once known as the birthplace of the narrative movement and later as a bastion of mediatic realism, Baroda is today recognised as a site of extensive experimentation. The city’s studios have developed into hubs for intergenerational discussion, encouraging creative uses of both conventional and nontraditional materials. In addition to working with media like canvas, clay, glass and bronze, artists are also depoliticising these materials, giving them new cultural meaning and semantics.
Using the works of mid-career and up-and-coming artists, including Mayur Gupta, Sashidharan Nair, Indrapramit Roy, Anuj Poddar, Ganesh Gohain, Santana Gohain, Chander Prakash, Vinod Daroz, Alok Bal, Nimesh Patel, Uday Mondal, Ajay Lakhera, Rai David, Santa Rakshit, Lochan Upadhyay and Azghar Ali, the exhibition showcases this ‘new materiality.’ Their work reflects a developing artistic path that delves deeply into material as a storytelling and critical medium, transcending narrative traditions and intellectual frameworks.
The Alchemy of Matter allows spectators to observe how Baroda’s artists are transforming modern art through this group investigation. The display acts as a demonstration of the city’s continued status as a testing ground for creativity and signalling its entry into new fields of artistic research. “The contemporary art culture and experimentation fostering in Baroda continues to be a hidden gem for art enthusiasts, curators and collectors,” remarked Mamta Nath, founder of The Lexicon Art Gallery, on the occasion. “A thorough look into its culture may be 
found in Alchemy of Matter. In addition to having the opportunity to communicate with the artists and gain insightful knowledge about their creative processes, viewers can anticipate engaging with materials and concepts that have not yet been explored.”
Curator Rahul Bhattacharya stated, “It insists that materials are not mute—they argue, provoke, and remember,” in reference to the event. “The studio as a location of material thought is what we’re witnessing in Baroda now, which is a stark reorientation rather than a return or reaction. Artists are now incorporating politics into the grain of wood, the skin of clay and the weave of textiles rather than just depicting it. They aren’t analogies. These are conflicts. It is not the media that conveys the message. That’s the message.”
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