Swarnaly Mitra Rini

মগড়া নদী ঘাট, নাগড়া
23/02/2026

"Lives and works in Vienna"(Lebt & Arbeitet in Wien)
Contemporary Art from Vienna
🌿1.5.–26.10.2026🌿
Annual Press Conference 2026 (Kunsthalle Wien, December 12, 2025)
Photo: eSeL.at - Lorenz Seidler
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I made this painting thinking of the pond in my village. This pond belongs to all our relatives. We are all relatives in the houses on both sides of the pond. My father’s home, grandfather’s cousin house, great grandfather’s brother’s house, cousin’s house. The remaining land on both sides of the pond is also everyone’s.

Railway lines in front of the house. While bathing in the pond we would watch the trains coming and going onto the railway tracks.

Trees and plants all around the pond. Flowers, fruits, vegetables, weeds, pollen, uncountable trees. Someone threw the fruit seed after eating the fruit around the pond. The tree that grew from this seed has stood on the bank of the pond for many years.

We went down to bathe and picked fruit from that tree and ate it. Some parts of the tree are in the pond, some parts are on the shore. Climbing trees, jumping from the tree into water, swimming in water and eating fruit. I used to do everything in the pond.

We, the cousins, would always go from our house to our cousin’s house on the other side of the pond to play, to hang out, for whatever reason. We would go down to the pond together to bathe. We were on one side and they were on the other side at the same time. We would meet each other while swimming, talk, and speak a greeting. The fish would swim with us. Many times, we would get stuck with the fish.

I would get scared thinking it was a snake. I would rush out of the pond and shout. There was a competition to see who could stay underwater for the longest time. Someone would come to wash clothes at one ghat side, someone would come to wash at another side ghat, and someone would come to bathe cows and buffaloes at the other side.

Teenagers would leave toy cars with fire in the pond. We kids would be amazed to see the cars with fire running across the pond. Many people lost their jewelry while jumping into the pond. Sometimes they could find them, sometimes they couldn’t. Fish were caught from the pond once or twice a year. Fish were caught from all around. We would form a group and follow the fishermen. The fish were then divided equally and given to all the households.

This is the pond where we bathed the most as a child. One day I cut my feet while jumping into the pond. Dad ran and took me to the doctor, who bandaged my feet and gave me an injection. I often got lost when I went to our village home. I would go somewhere else while walking with my uncles. Don’t say anything at home.

The net was cast in this pond twice because I couldn’t be found anywhere. After a long time I returned home again. This pond is a document of my life. It’s been many years since anyone has used our pond ghat side.

We have our house, pond ghat, trees, everything. But there are no more people in our house. In our past, none of us three sisters lived there.

Pond, 2025. Soft pastel on paper (225 sheets of A4). 315 × 445.5 cm.

Mag.art Rini Swarnaly Mitra ❤️💚
(Pass with distinction)
TIME
Swarnaly Mitra Rini
Diploma Exhibition 2025
06–10 October, Mon–Fri
11:00–16:00
Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien
Lehargasse 8, 1060 Vienna
2nd floor | Mehrzwecksaal (Semperdepot)