Gaze of silence

There is always magic in the tragic,” reflects Vivek Mathew, whose practice is deeply rooted in observation and memory. His long association with an old-world Bengaluru coffee house—an enduring cultural landmark—becomes a quiet metaphor for the city itself, holding steady as layers of time, change, and urban expansion gather around it.

This sensibility informs his recurring use of windows as a visual and conceptual device—sites of transition that frame both decay and continuity. In his latest work, Gaze of Silence, Mathew engages with themes of pause, introspection, and transformation, describing the piece as one of the most organic evolutions within his extensive and distinguished career.