Indian artist Rohini Devasher is an avid stargazer and eclipse chaser. With a multimedia practice reflecting her abiding interest in the intersection of art, science, and philosophy, Devasher often collaborates with astronomers, researchers, and scientific institutions. Her solo exhibition “One Hundred Thousand Suns,” curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta at the Special Project Space of Mumbai’s Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, presented an extensive series of her copper drawings alongside the titular work—her first ever synced four-channel video installation. The title alludes to the 157,000 images of the sun captured over more than a century by staff at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in southern India, one of only two observatories in the world with over 120 years of continuous data on the sun.
Devasher’s research-driven approach was lauded when she was named Deutsche Bank’s Artist of the Year 2024, and while conceptualizing One Hundred Thousand Suns she pondered how she could represent the sun in all its complexity. From the archives of the Kodaikanal Observatory, she began collecting a variety of material, including hand-drawn sunspots on glass photographic plates and small disks of paper, as well as H-alpha and Calcium K images. In the film, the artist combined images of this material with her own personal documentation such as photographs, drawings, videos, and interviews with fellow eclipse chasers. These observations were brought together with images and data from NASA’s public domain.
Installation view of ROHINI DEVASHER’s One Hundred Thousand Suns, 2023, four-channel synced video installation, UHD, color, 5.1 sound, 25 min, at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai, 2024. Courtesy Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum.
