Dreamer, 2026

Relating to a key painting in T. Venkanna’s 2026 exhibition at Studio Voltaire, this limited-edition etching depicts a solitary figure standing atop a rock, gaze lifted towards a vast, pale sky. In the painting, the sky is filled with bodies that drift and intertwine like clouds; here, it becomes an empty expanse, occupying much of the composition and compressing the lush landscape below into a narrow band. A tree rising at the horizon marks a fragile threshold between land and sky. Echoing the figure’s own posture, it suggests not only longing but also withdrawal, a turning away from the immediacy of the world towards an imagined elsewhere. Who is this dreamer who has turned their back on earth, and what realm do they imagine? A master printmaker by training, T. Venkanna has generously produced this edition to raise funds for Studio Voltaire’s artistic and public programming. With thanks to the artist and Gallery Maskara.