Mrinalini Mukherjee (1949 - 2015) was one of the most original figures in contemporary Indian art. Her international reputation is tied to her monumental textile sculptures made from hemp and jute ropes, where botanical and anatomical forms merge into an organic language that bridges abstraction and figuration. She always worked without preparatory sketches, allowing the material itself to guide the creative process, and transformed traditional craft techniques such as macramé into tools for radical artistic exploration. From 24 October 2025 to 24 February 2026, the Royal Academy of Arts in London presents the exhibition A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, which for the first time in the UK brings together a significant group of her works alongside those of mentors and colleagues who helped shape artistic modernity in the subcontinent. Shown in dialogue with her sculptures and drawings are works by her parents, Leela Mukherjee and Benode Behari Mukherjee, both teachers at the historic school of Santiniketan, as well as by key figures such as KG Subramanyan, Nilima Sheikh and Jagdish Swaminathan. The exhibition therefore goes beyond presenting the talent of a single artist, reconstructing a broader cultural fabric made up of relationships, collaborations and intellectual exchanges. Mukherjee’s poetics, centered on her bond with nature and on the evocative power of materials, is placed within a context that tells the story of the birth of a South Asian modern language, one capable of combining tradition and experimentation. Her vegetal and anthropomorphic forms become symbols of vitality and transformation, while her choice to use local fibers affirms a deep connection to her country’s material culture. The London exhibition highlights how Mukherjee and her circle redefined contemporary sculpture through an approach that challenges Western categories and opens to a global perspective. At a time when art seeks new forms of grounding and dialogue with cultural memory, her research resonates with remarkable relevance.
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