At the MKF Museum of Art, an exhibition titled On Things That Matter asks a deceptively simple question: what do we value, and why? The answer, as the works of Isha Valentine and Vidhya Venkatappa suggest, is anything but simple. Through two sharply different artistic approaches, the show traces the emotional terrain of memory, identity, coexistence and the everyday objects and experiences that quietly shape a life.
The exhibition places the artists in dialogue without forcing them into sameness. At first glance, Vidhya Venkatappa's work appears rooted in the material world, while Isha Valentine's practice seems to reach toward the metaphysical. Yet the deeper impulse behind both bodies of work is strikingly similar: each artist is trying to make sense of what endures, what changes, and what remains meaningful across time.
For Isha Valentine, overlapping memories and shifting time frames are central to the work. "Many things are important to us; those that exist in the past, we revisit in our memories," she says, noting that recollections can be triggered by an object, an incident or a person. Her art becomes a way of revisiting those fragments and giving them form. In one register, her works offer a critical look at responsibilities, ambitions and the passage of time. In another, they reflect on coexistence — between people, communities and sections of society.
"Despite differences in race, culture, physical traits, personalities, education, or work, we develop relationships with people, and are bound together in this life," Isha says. "It is important to acknowledge each other's presence, learn from each other and help each other along the way." That idea of shared existence runs through the exhibition, giving the show a social as well as personal dimension.
One of Isha's most striking works is a tetraptych in which each of the four panels appears to contain script on gold leaf. The piece is her meditation on legacy — not only what people leave behind in material terms, but what they transmit through thought, conduct and values. "It is important what we bequeath to the next generation are not just physical assets, but our learning, wisdom, and imbibed virtues," she says. In that sense, the work expands the exhibition's title into a broader ethical question about inheritance and responsibility.
If Isha's work moves through memory and meaning, Vidhya Venkatappa's canvases assemble the world as the mind might store it: fragmented, layered and unexpectedly connected. Her images bring together unrelated objects and scenes — a highway in a bottle, noise-cancelling headphones beside sea shells — creating visual juxtapositions that feel at once playful and reflective. Rather than presenting reality as it is, her art suggests reality as it is remembered, filtered or emotionally reorganised.
An artist for the past 20 years, Vidhya says her practice has long been shaped by questions of self-identity. "My initial works revolved around portraitures and human narratives; gradually I began using the material element or found objects. I would depict myself or my identity in metaphors such as coffee cups or other inanimate things," she says. Over time, that inquiry evolved alongside her own life. "My work evolved during my journey through womanhood and motherhood," she adds.
Most of the works on display were created in the past three years, and while the human persona remains central, the surrounding world is never far away. Vidhya's canvases carry traces of urbanisation, heritage and modern convenience, often in the same frame. "Though urbanisation is unfolding all around us, one can spot heritage sites and old monuments in my work. And despite all our misgivings, most of us cannot lead our lives without the conveniences of modern life," she says.
That tension between the old and the new, the personal and the public, gives the exhibition much of its force. Vidhya says even the dragonfly that appears in some of her works is a self-portrait of sorts. "In a way it represents me. I try to do something, but it does not make much of a difference to the world around me. Like me, the dragonfly too, is a silent spectator." Yet she is quick to point out that the insect's apparent smallness should not be mistaken for insignificance. "Though easily dismissed, it is quite hardworking, and without them there would be a gap in the earth's ecosystem. These small things matter a lot, but often we may miss out on their importance until it is too late."
That sentiment could serve as the exhibition's quiet thesis. Whether through gold leaf, found-object imagery or symbolic creatures, both artists insist that meaning often resides in what is overlooked. On Things That Matter does not offer a single answer to the question of what matters most. Instead, it invites viewers to consider how memory, identity, responsibility and the unnoticed details of daily life continue to shape who we are.
On Things That Matter by Isha Valentine and Vidhya Venkatappa is on display at MKF Museum of Art until September 30. Entry is free, and the museum is closed on Mondays.