A gallery tour of the exhibition titled "Living Without the Gods" with featured Chicago-based South Asian American artist Shaurya Kumar.

Kumar is an artist of recollection who immerses himself in memoirs and imagery of history, context and time. His body of work addresses these topics in different ways: it explores the effects of transposition of an object from its original context to a new milieu; it considers the modern ruin, removed from its place in history and memory, and its relation to modernity and urbanization; and lastly, it reflects on the role of military and militia where specific objects are targeted and destroyed when the new regime is against the philosophy of the work itself 

Kumar investigates how human societies construct meaning and identity in the absence of monuments and objects that once anchored their cultures. Kumar explores the transformation of artifacts when displaced from their original contexts, reflecting on the modern ruin. Through printmaking, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography and installation, he examines crumbled temples, relocated columns, empty tombs, and lost traditions, questioning the fate of cultural relics lost to time, museums, or private collectors. 

Curated by Dr. Arshiya Lokhandwala, the exhibition fosters dialogue on identity, history, and diaspora.