Spaces That Hold: The Liminal Worlds of Swapnaa Tamhane
Sorting the world into binaries – black or white, masculine or feminine, East or West – has long been a way to make sense of complexity. Yet the most compelling stories seldom sit at these extremes. They live in the in-between: fluid, layered, and rich with contradiction. It is here that Canadian-born artist, curator, and writer Swapnaa Tamhane works, honouring the liminal while challenging hierarchies inherited from colonial histories and questioning the rigid divisions between art and craft. Her practice is rooted in both research and materiality, led by a belief that surfaces carry memory.
Swapnaa Tamhane. Detail of Mobile Palace, 2020-2021. Block print on mill-made cotton, beading, appliqué. Made with Salemamad Khatri and Mukesh Prajapati. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dennis Ha.
Tamhane’s first solo exhibition in the United States, Spaces That Hold, is now open at the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College until 4 January 2026, curated by Dr. Siddhartha Shah. The title, Shah notes, is “like the start of many sentences,” suggesting an open invitation to thought and participation. The exhibition spans three galleries and a 17th-century heritage room, offering a sensory experience that is both contemplative and tactile, encouraging viewers to slow down and look closely...
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Image Credits:
Lead: Mobile Palace, 2019-2021. Mill-made cotton, appliqué, beading, natural dyes. Made with Salemamad Khatri, Mukesh Prajapati
Installation "Swapnaa Tamhane: Mobile Palace", curated by Dr. Deepali Dewan, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 2022. Photo by Paul Eekhoff/ROM
All further images as credited in photo captions.