Locus of Control

The exhibition presents works by contemporary artists Ali Akbar Mehta, Arvind Sundar, Digbijayee Kathua, Govinda Sah Azad, Koshy Brahmatmaj, Kedar DK, Sarika Mehta, Shalaka Patil, Tushar Waghela, Urvi Sethna, Sonakshi Sinha, Luv Sinha, and Kush Sinha.

LOCUS OF CONTROL is a psychological concept that refers to how strongly people believe they have control over the situations and experiences that affect their lives. The concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954 and has since become an aspect of personality psychology. A person’s “locus” (plural “loci”, Latin for “place” or “location”) is conceptualized as internal (a belief that one can control one’s own life) or external (a belief that life is controlled by outside factors which the person cannot influence, or that chance or fate controls their lives).

The exhibition examines this notion of control, not as a theme or subject, but as a constitutive feature of artists’ practice, process, and methodologies of art production. It seeks to disentangle notions of empathy and hostility in their work. In a pandemic where we were all challenged to find solutions against the consistent erasure of survival, identity, wellbeing and freedom, we were able to collectively get through such a difficult period in human history through

creative expressions, yet we continue to feel the pain and learn the ways of healing. For these artists being in “in control” or “out of control” is an essential feature of how work gets made. In this exhibition, we explore this fluid idea, the production of artworks as personalities, our intention and reception, the resilience of humankind, our hopes, frustrations, and making sense of the world while it is still testing positive for Covid.