Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
The Etihad Modern Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi will soon be home to a sea of reflections – not only of painted fish but of stories, migrations and shared memories.
From September 10 to 15, sustainable artist Vandana Sudhir will present “Currents: Journeys in Motion”, her first solo exhibition, curated by Dr. Devisree S, Raisa Mariam Rajan, and Saumya Sudhir.
At its heart lies an installation of 50 upcycled glass bottles transformed into fish – a school moving together, yet with each individual holding its own rhythm. Suspended in the gallery as though drifting in a quiet ocean, the work sets the tone for an exhibition deeply aligned with the UAE’s Year of Community.
“Like in the UAE, where so many nationalities live and work side by side, these fish belong to the same flow but each has its own journey. That duality of individuality and community is what I wanted to capture,” said Sudhir.
For her, art is inseparable from lived experience. As the wife of India’s ambassador to the UAE, Sunjay Sudhir, her life has taken her across more than 10 capitals – from Cairo to Damascus, Geneva to Sydney, Colombo to Malé, and now Abu Dhabi. Each destination has left an imprint.
“My work is influenced by what we go through. Being an educator and coming from a background in psychology has deepened my reflections. I absorb cultures and environments wherever I go, and those experiences find their way into my art,” she explains.
The bottles, for instance, trace back to her time in the Maldives. There, the absence of commercial fishing and the community’s passion for preserving marine life left a lasting impression.
“They only allowed hook-and-line fishing, ensuring fish were caught for local food rather than large-scale trade. That spirit of sustainability touched me. It was there that bottles began to take the form of fish,” she recalls. Today, that seed of an idea has matured into a symbolic ocean of glass, sustainability turned into metaphor.
But Currents is not confined to one motif. The exhibition is structured as a journey – beginning with movement, passing through layered multimedia works of migration and belonging, and culminating in an ocean-inspired contemplative space. Here, visitors will be invited to pause, reflect, and even contribute their own thoughts or memories.
“The closing space shifts the viewer from being a passive observer to an active participant. It becomes a shared dialogue, weaving together individual experiences into a collective memory,” she explained.
Sustainability is more than a medium for Sudhir; it is a philosophy. She recalls her artwork for Expo 2020 Dubai, where she depicted the UAE’s mangroves and the nation’s wider sustainability goals.
“The UAE has always seen sustainability not only in terms of environment but as part of its vision of tolerance and progress. My works echo that – I use torn paper, found objects, reused glass – to show how available resources can tell profound stories,” she said.
That vision, she feels, is reflected in Abu Dhabi’s cultural development. She pointed to Saadiyat Island, where museums such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the upcoming Guggenheim, and Zayed National Museum stand as symbols of cultural integration.
“The Louvre may sound French, but its innovation and its outreach to communities are deeply Emirati. I’ve seen how yoga, for example, has become part of its calendar, drawing thousands of people. It shows how art here is not distant; it seeps into the everyday lives of people,” she said.
If Currents explores transitions and identity, it also mirrors the UAE’s own story – a place where millions have migrated, adapted, and transformed.
“The UAE is an ever-expanding cultural conversation. People bring their memories, undergo acculturation, and become part of the bigger community. But at the same time, they carry their past within them. We are never static; we are always becoming. That is what I try to portray through Currents,” she reflects.
For visitors, the exhibition promises both spectacle and stillness. A shimmering school of glass fish, multimedia explorations of movement and belonging, and a closing space for reflection invite audiences to see themselves in the flow of community.
“It is an exploration of memories, of transition and identity,” Sudhir concludes. “Above all, it honours the strength we draw from the places and people along the way.”
Currents: Journeys in Motion runs September 10–15, 2025, at Etihad Modern Art Gallery, Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi. Admission is free and open to the public.
