BombayJules: Meet the Artist

At the tail end of last week, I was feeling a little cultural and decided to make my first (and solo) visit to the Jehangir Art Gallery in the arty district of Kala Ghoda (near Fort and adjacent to the Prince of Wales Museum which I have previously written about).

The Jehangir is not really like any other art gallery you will find in most metropolitan cities - because the works of all the artists are actually for sale. There are four large exhibition spaces at The Jehangir plus another smaller one on the roof. I understand that there is a long waiting list to exhibit one's works at the gallery, it being the most prestigious and famous in the city.

Image that attracted me to The Jehangir Art Gallery
(Courtesy of Sunita Wadhawan's website)

Within the first few minutes of getting there I could already tell that there wasn't much to interest me in Exhibition rooms 1 to 3 (nothing really to my taste) but when I went upstairs and entered the Hirji Jehangir space, I was immediately drawn to the style and colours of the paintings that I saw there.

The vibrant art that was being displayed in this room was by Mumbai based artist Sunita Wadhawan - a young and rather professional looking lady with a Bachelor of Arts degree attained from the Sir JJ School of Art in 2009. A self pronounced 'enthusiatic and exuberant personality', Sunita personally took me through a video about herself and her art, explaining her inspirations and influences.

Sunita is a person who is definitely very much at peace with herself and this is reflected in her paintings. Butterflies are a common motif in her work which is also very feminine - you will find women depicted in a majority of her art. She is also influenced by the yoga of which she is a practitioner and teacher. Sunita is definitely one creative and multi-talented lady!

What personally attracted me within her display were the cute, colourful and cartoonish paintings of Ganesha. I had been seeking a Ganesha model or painting for some time, so that I could erect a do-it-yourself shrine in the apartment. When I saw this little fella, I fell in love immediately! He now sits on a cabinet in the flat, looking down at me while I work.

Our new visitor

Unfortunately I was a bit late posting this blog about Sunita as she was only displaying at the The Jehangir until 8th January. However, you can catch her online at http://www.sunitawadhawan.com where you will find samples of her work and information about future exhibitions. Sunita also conducts painting classes at her home in Chembur several mornings a week - she tried to tempt me in but I don't think I'd know where to begin!