With Future remains, Sudarshan Shetty presents his fourth solo exhibition at Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna. The exhibition evokes a fictional narrative that unfolds through a collection of objects acquired at flea markets in Mumbai. These seemingly mundane and now redundant objects are presented as the remnants of a man’s life, left behind to tell his story. The exhibition blurs the line between reality and imagination, inviting visitors to explore the fragments of an unknown past. Each object — a timeworn suitcase, utensils, typewriter, camera, and other personal objects — projects an intimate portrait of the man’s existence, raising questions about memory, legacy, and the stories we construct from what is left behind. Through this poetic assemblage, Future remains invites contemplation on the passage of time and the meaning imbued in everyday possessions that we gather around ourselves.

A video installation and the associated sculptural work create a dialog between transience and permanence, spontaneity and control. The video shows objects falling to the floor against a dark background, each impact generating a distinct sound that contributes to a rhythmic, musical composition. The visual choreography of the falls, combined with the carefully timed beats, transforms the random into a deliberate symphony of motion and sound. What deepens the experience is the presence of these same objects, meticulously replicated in wood. Painstakingly carved by hand, these wooden sculptures mirror the falling objects from the video, capturing every detail as it is displayed on a table. The delicate craftsmanship reflects the fragility of the original items, and the labour-intensive process contrasts with the fleeting, chaotic nature of their falls. This dialogue invites viewers to experience the tension between the ephemeral moment of a fall and the perceived timelessness of art and its projection towards a future consumption of an imagined history.

Two work complexes, one consisting of a group of bunched-up, leftover clothes, the other of a 7-foot-tall open shelf filled with bags and objects, were both cast in resin and marble dust. They also reflect this aspect of time and invite reflection on themes such as memory, presence and absence. The use of resin and marble dust not only preserves the intricate folds and textures of the fabrics but also elevates them from mundane objects to seemingly timeless artefacts. The shelf serves as a symbolic container for the objects it bears, frozen in time. The bags, with their contents vaguely shaped and tightly bundled, evoke a sense of mystery and hidden stories, as though preserving personal belongings or memories. The installation invites viewers to reflect on what we carry with us — both physically and emotionally — and the ways in which ordinary objects can become vessels of meaning, stopped in time yet rich with unseen narratives.

Another contemplative large-format work made of white Corean is decorated by an uninterrupted line of text, etched into its surface. The paragraph recounts a deeply personal narrative, rich with intimate details about a man’s final days and the small, poignant objects he left behind. It is a reflection on the passage of lifetime, the remnants we leave behind, and how the past and the present are intertwined in physical objects. Ultimately, they offer a meditation on legacy, on what remains when the gleam of life has faded, and the quiet dignity found in the things left behind.