Landscapes tell stories to those willing to listen and observe. Resonating with the verses of the 15th-century mystic poet Kabir, whose work ponders the nature of reality, the exhibition «Whole Rivers of Light»* brings together the artistic voices of Le Phi Long and Karishma D’Souza. Each artist, in their own way, explores the interconnected geopolitics and poetics of landscapes. Art becomes a means to transcend space and delve into the diverse narratives within cultural landscapes, whether geographical or historical, collective or personal. As dynamic natural spaces influenced by human activity, landscapes shape and reflect the changes experienced by the generations that inhabit them. Thus, they become stages upon which human stories and identities are constructed. Through their unique artistic vocabularies, Long and Karishma transmute landscapes, illuminating the interwoven layers of meaning within these narrative spaces. In doing so, they invite viewers to weave their own interpretations and connections into what they see, thereby defining their place in the tapestry of history and nature, of time and space.

Le Phi Long’s series of works, “The lake will be still, the waves will be calm,” presented in the exhibition, focuses on his field research about Kampong Luong, a Vietnamese, Khmer, and Chinese floating community living on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. His investigative approach, reminiscent of archival practices, explores expressions of religious practices and beliefs by questioning notions of habitat and lifestyle and examining how cultural identities are built, influenced, and transmitted through generations. Through sketches from his field notebook, Long explores the geopolitics and influences of industrialization and overfishing on the lake’s fragile ecosystem. He also addresses the predicted future disappearance of the floating community, threatened by deeply rooted colonial and governmental fishing policies impacting local residents facing displacement. In his video of an on-site intervention on the lake, Long sublimates these notions of nature and construction by using yellow fabric to connect the landscape with traditional spiritual elements of Vietnamese beliefs and symbols.

In her colorful works on paper and canvas, inspired by the environments she grew up in and the environs around Lisbon, Karishma D’Souza unfolds interconnected narratives of cultural, national, and individual reality. Drawing from her personal history, family memories, myths and the violent political events that have shaken her homeland, Goa, India, her lyrical artworks create an intimate, metaphorical space. Here, the individual experience of the harsh realities surrounding the political notion of citizenship and the struggles that shape India’s caste-divided society are transformed into poetic landscapes impregnated with the poetry of Kabir.