Fri Feb 07 11:36:37 UTC 2025: ## Artist Seema Kohli’s “Khula Aasman” Explores Family History and Partition’s Legacy
**NEW DELHI, February 7, 2025** – A new multimedia solo exhibition, “Khula Aasman,” by renowned artist Seema Kohli, is currently captivating audiences in the nation’s capital. The show, which runs until February 18th at Seema Kohli Studio, is a deeply personal exploration of the artist’s family history, spanning generations and bridging the past and present.
Kohli’s work draws heavily on her father’s autobiography and utilizes a unique blend of mediums. Silver gelatin prints, enhanced with hand-painted colours and ink drawings, feature photographs taken by her father, KD Kohli, alongside her own images and those of Maria Waseem, offering a multifaceted view of her ancestral home in Pind Dadan Khan (now in Pakistan). These works subtly touch upon the Partition’s trauma through imagery like axes and a shrouded body, while simultaneously showcasing the beauty of her family’s past.
The exhibition also highlights the Kohli family’s legacy in Unani and Ayurveda medicine, tracing eight generations of doctors back to her grandfather, Hakim Chunni Lal Kohli. This aspect is brought to life through an installation replicating an appendix from her grandfather’s medical book, showcasing traditional treatments alongside anatomical drawings. A recreated dawakhana (traditional medicine shop) further immerses viewers in this rich heritage.
One particularly striking piece, “Gulab Ki Khet,” depicts the rose fields of Choa Saidan Shah in Pakistan, juxtaposing the natural beauty with camels used by pilgrims and the distant Hindu Kush mountains, underscoring the futility of man-made borders.
Kohli describes “Khula Aasman” as a “project of memory of memories,” emphasizing the cathartic process of revisiting her family’s past. The exhibition is a powerful and moving testament to the enduring impact of history and the artist’s connection to her roots.
First Piper 