Experiences at the Bruce: Borrowed Light, A Lecture by Artist Rohini Devasher
Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 5–7:30pm
Join us on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, as we welcome artist Rohini Devasher. In this talk, Devasher will map the complexities of ecology, cosmology, and technology viewed through the twin lenses of art and science. How do we observe time and ourselves within the universe? What are the ways we think about observation? What are its modes and methods? What is the position of the observer?
The exhibition Rohini Devasher: Solar Poetics will be open for extended hours from 5–6pm. Light refreshments will be served from 5–6pm. The lecture will begin at 6:15pm followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Tickets are $20 for non-members and $16 for members Individual level and above. *Discount not valid for Student/Educator members.
Borrowed Light is an exploration of the deeply entangled relationship between site, observer, and sky, revealing work informed by Devasher’s two-decade long engagement with astronomy. Borrowed Light, a term drawn from architecture, means reflected light, or light ‘borrowed’ from an adjoining space to light an otherwise dark room or passage. For Devasher, Borrowed Light speaks to the experience of all who look up to the sky and stars.
For Rohini Devasher, a close reading of the interplay between site, observer and observation is key to the exploration of the relationships between the human and the more than human. These themes are central to Devasher’s research-intensive practice which explores the intersections between the humanities and the sciences. Spanning video, sound, printmaking, drawing, installation, and other media, her projects illuminate weird, seductive, and entangled worlds.
Devasher is the first Indian artist to be honored by Deutsche Bank as 'Artist of the Year' for 2024. In 2023 she was awarded a dual residency at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR) in Bengaluru, India as part of Connect India, a collaboration between Arts at CERN and the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
Her work has been shown most recently at the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Riyadh, Taipei Biennale 2025, Shanghai Biennale 2025, MUDEC Photo, Milan, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, PalaisPopulaire, Berlin, MSP Foundation, San Francisco, Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, Kunsthalle Bern, Museum Catharijneconvent Utrecht, Netherlands and Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong.
