National, 08/12/2025, Priya Sachdev: Delhi’s cultural scene has been electrified by the arrival of Nikas Safronov’s monumental immersive exhibition Dream Vision. Supported by Rosneft Oil Company, the showcase opened at Lalit Kala Akademi to overwhelming public fascination. Running until December 21, it has rapidly become one of the city’s most talked about artistic events. Visitors from across India have flocked to the venue to step inside a world where technology, memory and fine art merge into a sensory dream that defies conventional exhibition boundaries.
The show features one hundred of Safronov’s signature works alongside a newly created collection dedicated to India. These recent pieces blend Russian architectural elements with India’s most beloved landmarks, including a striking reinterpretation of the Taj Mahal. During a December 8 press conference at the Russian Embassy, Safronov explained that he wanted Russian and Indian cities to converse through imagery. His goal was to create shared visual narratives that bridge histories and allow audiences to enter a space shaped by collective cultural memory.
Spread across eight galleries and two floors, occupying nearly thirteen hundred square meters, the exhibition unfolds as an immersive journey that heightens with every step. Guests are welcomed by ornate elephant sculptures painted in vibrant Russian folk designs, symbolizing the fusion of artistic identities. A glowing multimedia corridor then assigns each visitor a personalized color signature that dissolves into radiant streaks of light. The experience creates the sensation of being recognized and accompanied through a living environment.
Inside the core galleries, the scale and complexity increase dramatically. More than four hundred meters of LED screens form an ocean of augmented reality, AI driven sequences and interactive digital illusions. Enormous flowers open in slow motion, avatars drift through surreal landscapes and mirrored floors create a sense of endless expansion. One of the exhibition’s most striking moments is a colossal digital elephant shifting from a warm Varanasi evening to the icy Kremlin, delivering a breathtaking blend of sensory contrast and visual poetry.
The experience is further deepened by finely tuned soundscapes and subtle aroma design. Each room offers its own atmosphere, heightening emotional engagement. Safronov’s Dream Vision technique thrives on these layers, which he describes as bridges between consciousness and imagination. He believes that the merging of realities encourages viewers to perceive their own memories in new ways. In Delhi, this concept is vividly realized, leaving many visitors moved and introspective as they exit the galleries.
Rosneft’s support has been a key driving force behind the project. The company continues to strengthen cultural connections between Russia and India through high profile artistic initiatives. Safronov expressed his appreciation, emphasizing that such partnerships allow artists to experiment with expansive immersive formats. Rosneft also backed the India Festival in Moscow and Tatiana Navka’s acclaimed ice production in Ahmedabad. Following Delhi’s overwhelming response, Dream Vision will next captivate Mumbai from December 25, 2025 to January 15, 2026.
