The exhibition, staged in the Serpentine’s North gallery, comprises three moving‑image works – the 2017 feature film Such a Morning, the 2023 multi‑screen installation The Peacock’s Graveyard, and a new piece titled The Charcoal Man – each designed to be experienced in near‑total darkness.
Such a Morning follows a mathematics professor who abandons his academic post to live in a train carriage set in a forest. As an eclipse triggers a series of visions, he begins to record a dream almanac, while the film’s stark visuals – crows, covered windows and shifting clouds – are accompanied by poetic text that hints at apocalyptic and spiritual reckonings.
The Peacock’s Graveyard unfolds across seven screens, weaving together history, folklore and personal narratives into a series of parables. Kanwar uses the fragmented format to question received truths and to illustrate what he calls the “soup of the mind,” a swirl of media, memory, trauma and fantasy that shapes contemporary perception.
The Charcoal Man, the exhibition’s concluding work, continues the meditation on memory and identity. Though the review does not detail its narrative, it is described as a highlight that underscores Kanwar’s belief that past and present coexist within the mind.
Kanwar has said the show is meant to counter what he describes as the “illness” of contemporary life – a condition where arrogance overtakes humility. By plunging the gallery into darkness – visitors cannot even see their own shoes – he forces them to relinquish their phone‑filled identities and confront deeper stories, including the lingering impact of the 1947 Partition of India.
The sensory intensity of the darkened space has already produced physical moments: a gallery assistant emerged from the shadows, startling a visitor, and a woman later tripped over a large chair. These incidents, while accidental, reinforce the artist’s intention to create a mood that compels surrender to the work’s contemplative rhythm.
Kanwar’s focus on the Partition and the British colonial role in the ensuing violence serves as a reminder that historical wounds remain vivid for many Indians. By linking those histories to present‑day divisions and prejudice, the exhibition positions art as a warning against ignoring the past while sinking into contemporary sectarianism.