It would be an understatement to describe the latest exhibition at Gallery Kolkata as dismal (Image of one’s own self, until April 19). As it is, a handful of names keep coming back in every other show at this gallery, and not for any evident reason. Most of the artists appear to be inordinately pleased with themselves. Chandrima Bhattacharya, Sajal Kaity or Kazi Nasir seem to have become too smug to do anything original. Their signature styles, by now, must have started to pall viewers. Little thinking appears to have gone into the lurid sculptures by Debanjan Roy or the series on identity cards by Manjira. One wishes Alternative Ratan could create something worthy of his chosen name. The self-portraits by Lopa, with her face wound up in measuring tape, are nothing other than vacuous.

Perhaps these artists should have confined themselves to self-portraits in the good old Realist tradition, discarding postmodern pretensions. Prasanta Sahu gestures in the Realist direction in his untitled work (picture). For this reason, rather than for any other intrinsic merit, he stands out in the assembled dullness.