For Abhay, exhibiting in Chicago was deeply personal. Having studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Expo Chicago had always been a place of inspiration, somewhere he would walk through as a student, imagining what it would one day feel like to exhibit his own work there.
The collection brought together paintings exploring migration, identity, nostalgia, and the experience of viewing India from afar. Rather than documenting memories literally, the works transformed them into surreal narratives where mythology, architecture, and contemporary life coexisted within imagined worlds. Every composition encouraged viewers to slow down and discover new details, allowing personal memories and interpretations to become part of the artwork itself.
Years later, returning to the same city as an exhibiting artist marked a full-circle moment, reaffirming the role Chicago continues to play in shaping Abhay's artistic journey and visual language.
