to 'Soulscapes,' where emerging artists and seasoned professionals come together in ways that feel genuinely fresh. There's something special about seeing these different perspectives side by side-the energy is infectious, and the work speaks for itself. As a curator, I've loved watching how these artists push each other and challenge what we expect from contemporary art. Their stories. emotions, and insights come through in ways that feel both personal and universal...
About:Jehangir Art Gallery is an art gallery in Mumbai. It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi J. Bhabha. It was built in 1952. Managed by the Committee of Management, the entire cost of this mansion was donated by Cowasji Jehangir. Wikipedia
Located in: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Indian watercolor artist Ashish Irap is set to showcase his latest works at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, from 2nd to 8th September 2025. The exhibition brings together his internationally recognized pieces along with fresh creations that reflect his deep connection to the city and its culture.
Among the highlights is “Ganpati Aagman”, a vibrant depiction of the grand arrival of Lord Ganesha in Mumbai. The painting bursts with festive energy—the idol glowing in rich hues, devotees gathered in prayer, and the city’s historic and modern landmarks forming the backdrop. Through delicate washes and dynamic strokes, Irap captures not just the visual spectacle but the heartbeat of Ganeshotsav—the spirit of unity, devotion, and joy that defines Mumbai during the festival.
This exhibition comes at a time when Irap’s artistry has been earning international acclaim. His painting “A Wet Day”, portraying Mumbai’s CST. Station during the monsoon, was recently selected for the 45th International Exhibition of the San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), USA, qualifying him for the society’s coveted Signature Membership. This was his third consecutive selection by SDWS, a rare achievement that cements his place among the finest watercolorists globally.
His creative brilliance has also been recognized at the Greece Online International Juried Exhibition, where his cityscape “Drone Shoot” received a Merit Award. Meanwhile, his work “Birds’ Point of View” has earned him a place in the July 2025 issue of Splash-26 (USA), marking his third consecutive feature as a finalist in this prestigious international art magazine.
Adding to these honors, Irap also holds Signature Membership with the North East International Watercolor Society (USA), a recognition awarded after consecutive selections and two awards over three years.
Artist: Ashish Irap
Ashish Irap’s journey reflects both artistic mastery and cultural storytelling. His works breathe life into everyday moments and grand celebrations alike, carrying the soul of Mumbai onto the international stage. As his exhibition opens at Jehangir Art Gallery, it not only marks a milestone in his career but also a proud moment for Indian art.
From: 2nd to 8th September 2025"A Journey Through Light and Shadow"Art Exhibition by renowned artist Ashish Irap
From: 2nd to 8th September 2025"A Journey Through Light and Shadow"
Art Exhibition by renowned artist *Ashish Irap*
VENUE: Jehangir Art Gallery 161-B, M. G. Road
Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400001, Timing: 11am to 7pm, Contact: +91 9869577309
Tathi Premchand’s art carries the restless pulse of Mumbai, the city he has lived and worked in since 1990. Within its crowded trains, humid air, and endless movements of people, he has found a school larger than any formal institute—a living archive of gestures, forms, and emotions. Out of this energy came not only canvases and digital series, but also one of his most enduring contributions: the drawing books, a lifelong project that began in 2005 and has grown into a monumental body of over a thousand drawings.
My Art in Books…
The drawing books are not mere sketchpads; they are intimate laboratories of thought and form. Premchand treats them as companions in which every line is a search for essence. Unlike conventional portfolios, these books are not bound by singular themes but move fluidly between nature studies, non-object abstraction, figurative explorations, and experimental mark-making. They embody the artist’s philosophy that drawing is not preparation for painting—it is painting itself, stripped to its raw bones.
From his early days, Premchand was inspired by the classical discipline of Ajanta and Ellora, where ancient murals and sculpted lines held rhythm, proportion, and the mysterious continuity of human imagination. This influence shows in his careful studies of form, especially in his nude model drawings and miniature-inspired compositions. His watercolour series reveal a softer side of his practice, where fluid washes explore transparency and impermanence, contrasting the dense, energetic strokes of his charcoal and ink sketches.
Across the drawing books, one discovers a constant shifting between representational and non-representational imagery. Scientific diagrams coexist with lyrical abstractions; a sketch of a snail’s spiral might lead to a meditation on cosmic proportions; a hurried commuter’s posture is transfigured into a study of movement. By refusing to privilege one category over another, Premchand’s books create an encyclopaedia of vision, where everyday life merges seamlessly with philosophical inquiry.
Technically, his approach to medium is expansive. Charcoal, ink, spray paint, pencil, colour pastel, and watercolour all find their place. He experiments with surfaces, layering, and even the geometry of composition itself. Many of his layouts are based on the golden ratio, with graph paper often serving as a subtle guide beneath the forms. This interplay of mathematical order and expressive gesture gives the drawings their unique tension—between calculation and spontaneity, structure and freedom.
Thematically, nature plays a central role. His graphic drawings of plants, animals, and natural textures are less about representation and more about distilling rhythm. He has described snails, shells, and other organic forms as metaphors for life’s fragility and endurance. Alongside these studies, his non-object drawings push into pure abstraction, questioning what remains when reference is stripped away. In his sketchbooks, these two streams run parallel, sometimes crossing in hybrid works that are both suggestive and enigmatic.
Equally important is his engagement with the human body. His nude model studies are not academic exercises but explorations of vulnerability, sensuality, and strength. They recall his larger thematic interest in gender and identity, where man and woman appear as mirrors, opposites, and necessary counterparts. Even in quick graphite sketches, one can sense his fascination with balance—of weight, of presence, of emotional undertone.
The books also hold miniature-style drawings, intricate yet contemporary, revealing his ability to compress vast ideas into small formats. Other sections feel almost scientific—what he sometimes calls “scientist drawings”—where lines dissect and analyse phenomena with the precision of diagrams. This duality, of art as both poetic and analytical, has become a signature of his drawing practice.
Over time, the drawing books have become more than private journals; they are an evolving archive of an artist’s mind. Unlike his canvases, which eventually travel into collectors’ homes, the books retain their unity, preserving years of experiments within their bound pages. Premchand has often remarked that his works only truly come alive once they leave the studio, but the drawing books challenge that idea—they remain alive even in their unfinished, ongoing form, each page a fragment of a larger continuum.
Today, with more than a thousand drawings collected across these volumes, the project stands as both a personal diary and a public statement. It is a reminder that drawing is not secondary but foundational, that the act of sketching is as much about thinking as it is about seeing. In the restless scrawls, delicate washes, and carefully measured lines, we encounter the full spectrum of Premchand’s artistic inquiry—discipline and play, observation and invention, silence and protest.
Artist Studio: 30/32, 2nd Floor, Deval Chambers, Nanabhai Lane, Flora Fountain Fort, Mumbai -400001 Maharashtra – India – Plant Earth
Tathi Premchand’s drawing books reveal an artist who never stops searching. They are less a record of what has been completed and more a map of what is still possible. In them, we find not just the history of one man’s vision, but also a mirror of the city, the culture, and the timeless human impulse to draw as a way of understanding life itself.
Text by Art Bloagazine Team
Artist Studio: 30/32, 2nd Floor, Deval Chambers, Nanabhai Lane,Flora Fountain Fort, Mumbai -400001 Maharashtra – India – Plant Earth
Shaping Bengal: A Brief Chronicle stands as a remarkable milestone in Indian art publishing. For the first time, a single volume brings together a thoroughly researched and richly illustrated documentation of over 150 years of Bengal’s sculptural journey. Written by art historian and critic Mrinal Ghosh, and introduced by Professor R. Siva Kumar, one of the country’s foremost authorities on Indian modernism, the book offers an in-depth reflection on the evolving aesthetics, practices, and philosophies that have shaped sculptural art in Bengal.
What makes this book truly invaluable is its sweeping coverage of generations of sculptors—from the early academic influences and modernist pioneers to women sculptors, environmental interventions, and experimental contemporary practices. The narrative thoughtfully interweaves the work and context of legendary figures like Ramkinkar Baij, Ajit Chakravarty, Somnath Hore, Meera Mukherjee, and Mrinalini Mukherjee, among many others. It highlights not only their individual contributions but also the socio-cultural forces that shaped their artistic expression. The book also gives due attention to the lesser-documented sculptors and public artworks that have transformed Bengal’s visual culture but have seldom been archived in any formal publication.
Published by Aakriti Art Gallery as part of its 20th-anniversary celebrations, this limited edition of only 500 copies serves as both a collector’s gem and a scholarly resource. Over the past two decades, Aakriti has consistently supported Indian modern and contemporary art, and Shaping Bengal emerges as one of its most meaningful tributes—an effort to preserve, celebrate, and critically examine the rich sculptural traditions of Bengal.
Elegantly designed, the book’s cover features a selection of iconic works that reflect the depth and diversity of Bengal’s sculptural imagination. It is more than a chronicle—it is a curated memory, a visual archive, and a testament to the enduring vitality of form and material in Bengal’s cultural narrative. Shaping Bengal is destined to become a foundational text for collectors, researchers, students, and institutions invested in the history of Indian art.
Aakriti Art Gallery (A unit of Chisel Crafts Pvt. Ltd.)
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