Reena Saini Kallat (b. 1973, Delhi, India; lives and works in Mumbai)
Pattern Recognition (2021–2022) and (2023)

In this conceptual, digital collage-based body of work Reena addresses the ever-shifting politics of access and inequity in the form of international travel authorizations. Pattern Recognition examines the inequities of international mobility through the form of a Snellen Eye Chart. Each frame ​represents a country, arranged in a pyramid according to the 2022 Henley Passport Index, which ranks nations by the number of destinations their citizens can enter without a visa.​ Japan is seen at the top,​ with access to 193 countries while Afghanistan​ lies at the base. ​Individually, they resemble scrapbook pages layered with images from media sources referencing war, refugee crises, climate displacement, protests, and the pandemic. Collectively, they compose a portrait of an unequal world, where privilege and policy determine access and opportunity.​ In the 2023 version of the work, the countries are represented by maps of nations, scaled and positioned according to their freedom of movement. Materially, the use of electrical wires alludes to networks of connection while simultaneously evoking restriction and control.​

Reena Saini Kallat’s practice spans drawing, photography, sculpture, and large-scale installation. Her work addresses themes of memory, migration, cultural identity, and the fragility of political borders, often using materials that carry symbolic weight such as electrical cables, salt, and rubber stamps. By layering historical references, cartographic forms, official emblems, the instruments of bureaucracy, and found images, Kallat explores how systems of governance and power shape both collective memory and individual experience.

Select solo exhibitions include Kunstmuseum Thun, Thun, Switzerland (2023); Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris, France (2020); Manchester Museum (2017). Select group exhibitions include Sharjah Art Biennale, UAE (2023); National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea (2020); Migros Museum of Contemporary Art, Zurich (2020); ICA Boston, Massachusetts, USA (2019); Tate Modern, London, UK (2018); MoMA, New York, USA (2016); Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, Italy (2007); ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany (2007). Her works are held in collections including Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE; Kadist, France; Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia ; among others.

Nature Morte, founded in New Delhi in 1997, is a leading platform for contemporary art from India. The gallery represents a diverse roster of artists working across media, committed to placing their practices within global conversations. Its program balances experimentation with critical engagement, situating its artists in biennales, museums, and collections worldwide. With exhibition spaces in New Delhi and Gurgaon, and regular participation in international art fairs, Nature Morte continues to shape the global discourse on South Asian contemporary art.