Borrowed Light is the first solo exhibition of Indian artist Rohini Devasher in an Italian institution, presented at MUDEC in Milan with Deutsche Bank and in collaboration with 24 ORE Cultura. Winner in 2024 of the prestigious international award Artist of the Year, dedicated to contemporary art by the Bank, the artist is the protagonist of an exhibition curated by Britta Färber, Global Head of Art & Culture at Deutsche Bank. 

An amateur astronomer as well as an artist, she has been conducting research that explores the intersections between art, science, and philosophy for years, developing projects that engage visual culture, technology, and scientific knowledge.

Central to her work is the observation of the sky: an ancient and universal gesture that Devasher investigates both from a scientific perspective – through tools and data – and as a cultural and philosophical experience, rooted in the Indian tradition.

Devasher is not only interested in the gaze directed towards the sky: she is fascinated by the narratives, the stories of people whose lives have been transformed by the starry sky – even through multiple generations – as well as by the forms and modes of interaction that arise from their observations, the technologies and tools used, the ideologies and myths that shape observations and perceptions.

This long research, along with the themes and questions that drive it, converges in the exhibition Borrowed Light, which highlights her long-standing commitment in the field of astronomy, where light plays a fundamental role not only as a physical phenomenon but as a visible trace of passing time.

The title is inspired by an architectural term that refers to light reflected from an adjacent space to illuminate an otherwise dark environment. This image becomes the starting point for reflecting on some central themes of the artist's work such as impermanence, light, and time, but also on knowledge: on what reaches us through reflection from other cultures, epochs, or tools. Borrowed Light also evokes a broader reflection on the perspective from which we observe the sky: each observation is situated, conditioned by the geographical, cultural, linguistic, and ideological context of the observer.

The exhibition features video installations and wall works made on paper and copper plate, with an arrangement designed to evoke cosmic space within the spaces of MUDEC. Photo: dark walls and subdued light recall the darkness of the universe, while a site-specific mural intervention visually connects the works, creating a sort of visual constellation.

Borrowed Light thus represents a "journey among the stars" that invites reflection on our connection with the skies and what lies beyond, to imagine a common future based on solidarity and empathy.