“I would love an unpolluted world blossoming with wildflowers,”says Hima Hariharan, who doesn’t reject the idea of the man-made world but feels more empathy for the natural one. This series reflects the artist’s fascination with the natural world, textures, and colours while also emphasising the self-reflective process of making the paper using natural materials. Through… Read more »
“I would love an unpolluted world blossoming with wildflowers,”says Hima Hariharan, who doesn’t reject the idea of the man-made world but feels more empathy for the natural one. This series reflects the artist’s fascination with the natural world, textures, and colours while also emphasising the self-reflective process of making the paper using natural materials. Through… Read more »
KP Pradeepkumar’s art reflects his journey through the varied lush landscapes of Kerala and the climate crises looming over them. The artist seeks to illustrate a moment of interconnectedness between all life forms. In the series, The River Flowing Through Me, he creates “autobiographical landscapes” documenting organic forms and movements, and the resilience of flora… Read more »
Gond Adivasi artist Ram Singh Urveti narrates the story of two trees sacred to his community’s faith
In KP Pradeepkumar’s brooding, poetic landscapes, nature is not a passive backdrop but a powerful force that demands our attention
In March 2025, our show ‘In The Dappled Light’ opened at the Sarmaya archive in Fort Mumbai. The exhibition focused on how India’s natural world has inspired artists, scientists, healers and seekers across the centuries.
Our show in Mumbai explores the expansive role of India’s natural world on all human endeavours
For our 40th issue of Spotlight, we’re revisiting a theme we first explored back in 2019: the magnificent beasts who have charmed us with their form and spirit over the ages.
This composition is a 23 carat gold on paper titled ‘The Canopy’ by Jethro Buck (b. 1986). Jethro Buck attempts to draw our attention away from ourselves and into a contemplation of treetops and the limitless space beyond. Through the canopy, we get a glimpse at the profound infinity of the universe. To the artist,… Read more »
How did the art of a people from the Sahyadri mountains of western India capture the imagination of the nation and the world? The evolution of Warli paintings from Jivya Soma Mashe to the Vayeda Brothers
A member of the Gond-Pardhan community, Sukhnandi Vyam considers his art as an expression of the tribe’s identity and spiritual connection with nature
The Untitled Gond-Pardhan painting is an ink-on-paper work by artist Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001). Gond is a celebrated, shared art tradition practised by the Gond-Pradhan community in India. It was first ‘discovered’ by Jagdish Swaminathan, searching for original artworks from Indian tribes in the 1970s. The search ended with him meeting the talented artist Jangarh Singh Shyam,… Read more »
In this talk, Sarmaya Brand Custodian Pavitra Rajaram examines the tensions between the eastern and western perspectives on nature.
Did you know that most of India’s rivers originate in forests? To understand this invisible connection, we interviewed conservationist, naturalist, wildlife photographer and President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, Dr Anish Andheria
This mixed media work by Pradeepkumar charts a landscape in portrait format with a river descending the centre of the picture. Pradeepkumar KP (b. 1970) weaves a narrative centred around the water body to reiterate its power, stillness, and ability to both nurture and destroy. The work moves beyond notions of the scenic and picturesque… Read more »
Through the veins of a centuries-old textile art tradition flow the waters of a once-mighty river. Follow the journey of a Mata-ni-Pachedi painting as it takes birth on the banks of the Sabarmati
Artist Anju Acharya’s gaze may seem coolly observational at first, but it is in fact informed by deep wells of emotion and sensitivity towards her environment
Created using oil paint and 22 ¾ gold leaf on Gesso panels, Jethro Buck’s painting ‘Wild Things’ borrows and meshes together a potpourri of images from across the global landscape – from pastoral England to Mughal India. This miniature style painting teases a range of dynamic figures – animal and human – who go about… Read more »
Colourful creepers of Madhubani painting snake all over the state of Bihar, intertwined with the cultural identity of the state. This art reveals so much about the spiritual anchors and domestic rhythms of the people of the historic region of Mithila. But to get under the skin of it, it helps to understand a little about… Read more »
A brief look at the techniques, symbols and themes to which Madhubani artists return again and again for sustenance and grounding. These are the artistic and spiritual leitmotifs of Madhubani paintings