Inside Tejal Patni’s ‘Vichitra’ world

Aliens on trains to people with donkey’s heads, the filmmaker’s exhibition is an immersive exploration of surreal stories and the human psyche

Tejal Patni’s latest exhibition, Vichitra, is imaginative, immersive and surreal.  While it straddles the line of absurdism — of humans existing in a purposeless, chaotic universe — it bypasses the philosophy’s idea of meaninglessness. If anything, the showcase embraces satire and dark humour to break down physical barriers and bring disparate individuals together. “The inspiration behind Vichitra stemmed from my fascination with an unfinished building [that I saw in Delhi] where people still resided, offering glimpses into their lives,” says Patni, a photographer and ad filmmaker who has worked with top Indian and international fashion houses and magazines. “As a visual artist, I sought to transcend traditional boundaries by bringing this living space into a gallery setting.”

 The real and surreal overlap in the show, and it delves into the “peculiarities” that we so often conceal in our personal spaces. By opening them up in a public space, Patni hopes the audience will experience the vulnerability and share a sense of bonding.

Multiple exposed rooms showcase live actors absorbed in fantastical narratives that invite the audience to be co-creators and witnesses. “Setting up each moment of the exhibition held its own significance, but one of my favourites was conceptualising the lift set — inspired by the juxtaposition of a local train and its interior,” he says. “These quirky elements resonate deeply with my imaginative world, where disparate concepts converge harmoniously.”

Patni shares how integrating performance and actors into the project was “essential to breathe life into the meticulously designed rooms. As both a fashion photographer and a film director, I aimed to challenge myself and my team to create an immersive experience where can viewers encounter real-life scenarios within still images, blurring the lines between reality and art”.

Besides performance and images, the show also incorporates a series of short films. Each depicts city dwellers engaging in mundane activities that take a surreal turn as characters from Vichitra enter their lives, injecting an element of the extraordinary into the ordinary. For instance, a short depicts a Mumbaikar nodding off in a bus in the afternoon heat, when an otherworldly woman in red wakes him up. He is shocked, but he soon offers her a seat, blurring the lines between reality and the bizarre.

“Vichitra thrives on blurring the boundaries between art, installation, and performance, reflecting my fluid approach to experimenting with different genres,” says Patni. “I enjoy the creative process of merging disparate worlds, although it’s a delicate balance between innovation and avoiding gimmickry, where success often lies in repeated experimentation and refinement.”

Vichitra is on at Snowball Studios till March 12.