DIGITAL (DIS)EMBODIMENTS

Curated by Shashank Satish

Curatorial Note / Abstract

Digital (Dis)embodiments is a virtual group exhibition that delves into the concept of the body and its intersection with the digital realm in contemporary Indian art.  In the digital space, dis-embodiment refers to situations where a person’s identity or presence is no longer tied to a physical body, where traditional understandings of the body are constantly reshaped. The exhibition investigates how the anthropomorphic body is rendered, reimagined and reconfigured within digital landscapes, reflecting on the artist's embodied agency in crafting the digital body. 

Viewers are invited to immerse themselves in dream-like digital worlds that explore how artists engage with the human body and Indian thought while mediating the boundaries of religion, spirituality, physicality, and metaphysics through technology. Digital (Dis)embodiments challenges viewers to consider how digital curation reconstructs interactions between art, mind-body and spirituality in virtual environments, creating a new cosmology for digital beings in the disembodied space of computer screens. 

DIGITAL (DIS)EMBODIMENTS / DIGITAL DWEEPA

Digital Dweepa, the virtual world created for the Digital (Dis)embodiments show, reimagines the traditional concept of Jambu Dweepa (a sacred island from ancient Indian cosmology) as a digital landscape, intertwining mythology, spirituality, and technology in a contemporary Indian art context. Rooted in ancient Indian beliefs of realms beyond the material, Digital Dweepa becomes a virtual space where art and techno-spirituality converge. Here, the anthropomorphic body is dissolved and reformed, challenging traditional boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.

Much like Jambu Dweepa, described as a sacred island rich in mythological significance across Indic religions, the Digital Dweepa serves as a central hub for viewers to navigate uncharted territories of Indian thought in art. The digital sphere of Digital Dweepa acts as a bridge, offering a space for Indian artists to explore identity, embodiment, and the fluid nature of consciousness within a virtual environment. By navigating three thematic spaces—"Metaphygital Souls", "Cybernetic Spirits", and "Fungible Avatars"—viewers encounter the fusion of ancient thought with digital creation, prompting reflection on the evolving human experience. Through art that transcends the physical, Digital Dweepa invites audiences to contemplate new myths and meanings in an increasingly virtual existence.

Metaphygital Souls

Metaphygital Souls Portal explores how Indian artists merge ancient metaphysical thought with modern digital technologies. The term "metaphygital" combines the metaphysical—concerning spirituality and existence—with the fusion of physical and digital realities. This portal highlights how artists reinterpret ancient Indian practices, such as Brahminical rituals, and Yogic and Buddhist philosophies, through technologies like AI, motion capture, 3D printing, film, and gaming.

In Indian thought, the body has long been considered a sacred vessel for symbolic and spiritual acts. By examining these ancient practices reinscribed within digital mediums, this theme explores how artists create a new dimension of expression that transcends physical and virtual boundaries. This section explores novel mergings of ancient rituals, modern life, and technology, provoking viewers to explore timeless concepts of existence, embodiment, and transcendence that bridge the material, digital, and spiritual realms.

Cybernetic Spirits

Cybernetics is the study of systems where outputs feedback into the (digital) machine as inputs, creating a loop of information. In simpler terms, it explores how things communicate and influence each other in cycles; how actions in the real world affect the virtual world, and vice versa. Cybernetic Spirits gathers works that loop Indian thought and its digital representations of the body - the new spirit.

The portal invites viewers to explore the intersection of media, the self, and the mind as a complex that produces a body beyond the body. Here, the human body is experienced in the vast landscape of the mind, offering a spiritual refuge from a world colonized by physical laws and a globalized psyche. The artworks exist between the analogue and digital, between organic and mechanical, blending natural and artificial realms. Cybernetic Spirits exposes dualities that allow the spirit to find freedom in both the tangible and intangible worlds.

Fungible Avatars

In Indian mythology, an “avatar” signifies the physical incarnation of divinities, taking on various forms to restore balance in the world. In contrast, “fungible” refers to something that can be easily interchanged or replaced. The Fungible Avatars portal showcases digital representations of the human body that can be effortlessly transformed, highlighting the fluidity of identity.

Unlike NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in contemporary art, which focus on the unique ownership and individuality of digital materials, the concept of fungible avatars challenges the viewers to question the realities of identity and ownership of the digital self, essentially separated from the physical body. Through digital mediums and processes, these avatars can transfigure and mutate, encouraging visitors to engage with a concept of identity that is constantly evolving. This theme emphasizes how, in the digital age, personal identity is redefined and reshaped, promoting a more fluid and interconnected understanding of the self. Visitors are invited to reflect upon this transformative nature of identity, where the self is adaptable and continuously reimagined in the virtual realm.

DIGITAL (DIS)EMBODIMENTS | Program

27 Oct 2024 to 27 Apr 2025

27 Oct 2024:  Launch Event

Details: Architecture of the Digital Exhibition | Curatorial Walkthrough

17 Nov 2024  |  Metaphygital Souls: Panel Discussion with Artists

22 Dec 2025  |  Cybernetic Spirits: Panel Discussion with Artists

09 Feb 2025  |  Fungible Avatars: Panel Discussion with Artists

30 Mar 2025  |  New Media Art and Curation: Panel Discussion with invited Thinkers and artists

27 April 2025:  Closing Event: Details: Exhibition Catalogue launch + Panel discussion with invited Thinker and artists

    The Show is now Live!

For the best visitor experience, please use a computer screen with a mouse and keyboard for navigating the virtual art space

Special Thanks to:

All the participating Artists

Curatorial Companion: Anuj Daga

Virtual Exhibition Design Associate: Vishwajith A

Curatorial Collegiate: Marco Mancuso and Bika Rebek @ Node Center For Curatorial Studies, Berlin

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Exhibition Events

Past Event: Panel Discussion 1 on 17 Nov 2024 | Sunday 5 PM to 6:45 PM

Curatorial Theme: Metaphygital Souls

How do Indian artists blend ancient metaphysical ideas with modern digital technology to create new forms of expression?

Participating Artists on the Panel: Natasha Singh, Priyesh Trivedi and Sajid Wajid 

The Metaphygital Souls theme of the DIGITAL (DIS)EMBODIMENTS virtual group show explores how Indian artists merge ancient metaphysical thought with modern digital technologies. The term "metaphysical" combines the metaphysical—concerning spirituality and existence—with the fusion of physical and digital realities. This portal highlights how artists reinterpret ancient Indian practices, such as Brahminical rituals and Yogic and Buddhist philosophies, through technologies like AI, motion capture, 3D printing, film, and gaming.