Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti once said — The objective of art is to not reproduce reality, but create a reality of the same intensity. And while art is beautiful to look at, not every canvas makes you introspect. “For me, art is pervasive,” says Shakuntala Kulkarni, reflecting on her exhibition, Quieter than Silence: A compilation of short stories. The aggressive grey and black figures in the display that opens today immediately grab our attention, piercing through the deepest and darkest parts of our mind.

Although the artist has been associated with Chemould Prescott Road gallery for a long time, she will present her work in its environs for the first time in five years. “Her work might change mediums and forms, but there is a consistent thread that runs through her art. Kulkarni’s work depicts woman as a force and celebrates her in so many differing forms,” says Shireen Gandhy, the gallery’s creative director.