Pulses in Impulse: Notes from My Practice Since 2020 By Sujata Kar Saha

 In 2020, when the global pandemic brought the world to an unexpected pause, my artistic practice also entered a phase of deep reflection and transformation. The sudden disruption of everyday life created a space for introspection, slowing down the pace of both personal and collective life. During this time, like many artists, I began to reconsider my methods of working and the language through which I express my ideas. The isolation and uncertainty of that period made me more aware of the fragile relationship between human existence, nature, and the social environment we inhabit.

For many years my work had been rooted in abstraction inspired by landscapes. Through painting, I explored nature not as a literal representation but as a field of emotion, memory, and sensory experience. My paintings often developed gradually through layered compositions and meditative processes. Colour, texture, and spatial depth allowed me to construct environments that reflected an internal landscape rather than an external one. The process was slow and contemplative, allowing the work to evolve over time.

Artist: Sujata Kar Saha

However, during the pandemic I felt an urgent need for a more immediate and instinctive form of expression. The stillness of that period brought with it a heightened sensitivity to small details and fleeting emotions. I felt the need to respond to these moments quickly, without the long preparatory stages that painting often requires. This impulse led me toward drawing—a medium that allows spontaneity, intimacy, and direct engagement with the surface.

It was during this period that the series “Pulses in Impulse” began to take shape. Most of the works were created with pen, ink, and pencil, sometimes accompanied by delicate touches of watercolour and scratched pen marks. These materials allowed me to move freely across the surface, building layers of lines and textures that captured the immediacy of my thoughts. The drawings emerged spontaneously, almost like visual notes responding to fleeting thoughts and emotions. The act of drawing allowed me to work quickly and intuitively, recording impulses that might otherwise disappear.

In these works, lines became my primary language. They move, branch, and expand across the surface, forming intricate networks that often resemble elements of nature—leaves, roots, branches, or organic growth. Sometimes these lines appear dense and entangled, while at other times they open into delicate and airy spaces. I often think of these forms as imagined floral landscapes, or “flora-scapes,” where the boundaries between nature, memory, and inner emotion begin to dissolve. Through these organic structures, I explore the idea of growth, transformation, and interconnectedness.

Although these drawings may appear spontaneous, they contain a rhythm and structure that developed gradually through the process of repetition and layering. Each line carries a sense of movement, almost like a pulse traveling through space. The accumulation of marks creates a visual vibration that reflects both tension and continuity. In many ways, the drawings embody the emotional atmosphere of that uncertain time—the tension between fragility and resilience, stillness and inner movement.

Since 2020, my artistic practice has also increasingly engaged with socio-political realities. The events unfolding around us—social tensions, political shifts, and ongoing questions about identity, belonging, and collective experience—have begun to influence my work more directly. As an artist, I feel a growing responsibility to respond to these conditions and to reflect on how personal narratives intersect with broader social structures. My work therefore moves between the intimate and the collective, exploring how individual experiences are shaped by the larger socio-political environment.

Interestingly, the floral drawings from the “Pulses in Impulse” series continue to play an important role in my evolving practice. These organic forms are no longer confined to drawing alone. Over time, I have begun to incorporate them into my work in various ways—through different mediums, contexts, and conceptual frameworks. Sometimes these forms appear as symbolic elements within larger compositions, while at other times they function as visual metaphors that connect natural growth with social and political transformation.

For me, these floral structures carry multiple meanings. They can represent fragility and vulnerability, but they also embody resilience, regeneration, and quiet resistance. Plants often grow in unexpected places—through cracks in the ground, along broken walls, or within difficult environments. In a similar way, these forms suggest the persistence of life and creativity even within restrictive or uncertain circumstances. Through them, I explore the idea that growth and change often emerge from moments of disruption.

Looking back, the works that began in 2020 have become a significant turning point in my artistic journey. What started as spontaneous drawings created during a time of global uncertainty gradually evolved into an ongoing exploration of form, meaning, and context. The impulses that first appeared as intuitive marks on paper have continued to expand and transform within my practice.

In this sense, Pulses in Impulse is not only a series of drawings but also an evolving process—one that reflects the shifting relationship between intuition, environment, and artistic responsibility. Through this body of work, I continue to explore how personal impulses, natural forms, and socio-political realities can intersect within the language of art.

Pulses in Impulse
An Online Solo Show by Sujata Kar Saha

Step into a world of intuitive expressions, delicate details, and vibrant storytelling through art. Each piece reflects a rhythm of thought, emotion, and spontaneous creativity.

 Dates: 24th – 28th March 2026
 Venue: Online Exhibition
 www.nippongallery.com

Discover, collect, and experience art from the comfort of your space.

#NipponGallery #OnlineExhibition #SoloShow #SujataKarSaha #ContemporaryArt 

- Art Blogazine Team

The Illusion Protocol

 Recent sculptural work by Anand Prabhudesai

Anand Prabhudesai has often employed juxtaposition as his visual language. Invariably, he has questioned the self-sufficiency of images; thus, exploring the ruptures in semiotic, semantic and phenomenological meanings accrued to these images. Had he not done such explorations, Anand couldn't have reached the present work.

Anand Prabhudesai

This work can roughly be divided in four parts: the figurines along the partition facing the gallery entrance, the figurines in the gallery, a sculptural installation made of bricks and a pillar-like structure. The figurines are formally identical. Those at the entrance refer to basic needs like food, clothing and safety (of which shelter is a major part but other tangible and intangible aspects like deterrence, education and health cannot be ruled out). Inside, the monotony of these identical figurines is broken by superimposed images that refer broadly to 'Contemporary Art from India'. Almost in the middle of it is a pillar that resembles terracotta- not iron, and has rams that seem to be misplaced. on one side resides the brick wall apparently so real that it can hardly be called a sculpture. These are parts of one work, affirms Anand Prabhudesai.

Even as it addresses dichotomies of authorship and 'appropriation', truth and post-truth, monotony and multitude; the work is not a juxtaposition of dichotomous images, and although the irony is evident, such a juxtaposition is not its source. Instead, the work hypothetically accepts the prevalent notion of aesthetic engagement as a spiritual pursuit, and then- by the multitude of examples- makes it so obscure that the notion loses its credibility. The individual works quoted by Anand are not only many, but also incongruent to make way for a cohesive idea of Art. As an artist, Anand tends to believe that a cerebral response to reality is necessary for making art. He also knows that reality itself might be difficult to grasp, and that artists often construe reality to suit their artistic persona. This understanding brings him to the problem: whether to limit oneself to a chosen persona, and if yes, why. The apparent answers might be found in the 'art market' as a system. But Anand leaves it there so as to look at other aspects of contemporaneity.

While the pitfalls in understanding what is contemporary art- especially in the Indian context- can easily be seen at the Contemporary Art Auctions that sometimes sport works by Thota Vaikuntam, Laxma Goud and Prabhakar Kolte alongside Bharti kher; Anand only underlines it. The viewers may or may not choose to interpret this. What he would like to be interpreted by the viewer is the stark presence of the brick wall along with the ram motifs somewhere in (not atop) the pillar. A ram embodies the impulsive and headstrong psyche rather than pre-determined strategy. So a ram obviously embodies the antithesis to the qualities found in many artists of repute today. Yet, if the interpretations go towards the political overtones, it is the viewer who is finding a way not to think of art for art's sake.

At this point, this work becomes a game of meaning-making with anyone who views it as a participant. The title of this show, is derived from the name of a level in a computer game called 'Safe Zone' – which makes the players as unsafe as in every other computer game, but which also has an AI character called Mara. 'The Illusion Protocol' specifically refers to twisting narratives, a situation that can even otherwise be experienced in the world we live in- where propaganda movies can easily increase toxicity levels of their screenplays in the name of 'artistic liberty', thereby relegating all art to post-truth scenarios. Mara, as in Buddhist understanding of the world, refers to the devil that only gives us delusion, greed and hate. In other words, it turns lions and rabbits into rams and lands us into an ever-incomprehensible reality.

Perhaps a way out of the illusive meanings is to introspect, as the figurines would suggest.

Left side Abhijeet Tamhane and artist Anand Prabhudesai -  Jehangir Art Gallery -2026

Abhijeet Tamhane

Mumbai, March- 2026.

Rakhee Shah Artist: International Senior Contemporary Artist RAKHEE SHAH’S participation in a Group Exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery

Rakhee Shah is an internationally acclaimed artist with over 32 years of experience and an impressive record of 120 prestigious exhibitions and events across the UK, Mumbai, and Delhi, India. She is a member of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) and a life member of the Bombay Art Society. In 2025, Rakhee Shah was honoured with the National Award – Rashtriya Kala Ratna Award.

Artist: Rakhee Shah /  Acrylic on canvas

Her artworks have been widely collected across the globe, particularly in the UK and India. Her paintings have also been featured in several international auction houses. Her first exhibition in the UK, a group show held at The Bhavans, was inaugurated by the then Indian High Commissioner, Shri Lalit Mansingh. The exhibition attracted an elite audience of over 400–450 attendees and received significant media appreciation, marking the beginning of her international journey.

Artist: Rakhee Shah

 

Rakhee Shah’s contribution to society is equally remarkable. She has donated over 1,000 paintings worldwide to hospitals, cancer centres, institutions, NGOs, dignitaries, and delegates. Her works have reached countries including the UK, USA, Belgium, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Luxembourg, and India. Notably, she donated 70 paintings to UNICEF and UNESCO, and 148 paintings to ACTREC (Tata Memorial Centre), a Government of India institution. She has also contributed artworks to all 100 police stations in Mumbai.

 

Her work has been presented to several global leaders and dignitaries, including the President and Vice President of the United States, the Prime Minister and President of India, key cabinet ministers, the Governor of Maharashtra, and international leaders from Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Greece, among others. Her paintings are also part of collections held by various consulates and consul generals worldwide.

 

Rakhee Shah has been featured in the Limca Book of Records (2020–2022) for her extraordinary achievements and has also earned recognition in the Guinness World Records. She has received more than 100 awards and certificates from various organisations and institutions, including the prestigious Abdul Kalam Award, Gaitonde Award, and Raja Ravi Verma Kala Bhushan Award.

 

Having faced significant personal challenges in her life, Rakhee Shah has dedicated the past 15 years to philanthropy and social work, using her art as a medium to give back to society.

 

She will be displaying her  recent paintings in a group exhibition from the 31st March to 6th April, 2026 at Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. 

Rakhee Shah

Celebrity International Artist and Philanthropist

find her works on www.arterakhee.com

Instagram - rakhee.shah.79

 

Review : A Surface That Breathes: Deepashri Dixit’s Meditative Landscapes at Nippon Gallery

 At Nippon Art Gallery, Deepashri Dixit’s solo exhibition unfolds as a contemplative study of the Nilgiri tree—one that moves beyond representation into an experiential and material engagement with nature. Rather than positioning the tree as a passive subject, Dixit approaches it as a living system, allowing its rhythms of growth, decay, and renewal to shape both the visual and conceptual language of her work.

Central to the exhibition is the surface of the Nilgiri bark. Its peeling layers and subtle chromatic transitions are translated into thick, tactile applications of oil paint. Dixit’s surfaces are not merely painted; they are constructed through layering, scraping, and reworking. In works such as Golden Horizon and Middle of Life, the bark dissolves into abstract terrains, suggesting erosion, sedimentation, and time compressed into matter. The palette remains grounded in earthy browns and ochres, punctuated by shifts into pale whites and cool blues, echoing the organic transformations described in the curatorial framework.

Artist: Deepashri Dixit

A notable formal device across the exhibition is the use of circular formats, particularly in Ankur. These works function less as images and more as cross-sections, inviting the viewer to look into rather than at the surface. Dense, radial mark-making generates a sense of internal movement, evoking cycles of growth and regeneration. The circular form disrupts linear temporality, instead proposing a cyclical understanding of time—one that aligns with ecological processes.

In contrast, larger works such as Patriarch (Karta Purush) introduce a more assertive visual presence. The tree trunk stretches horizontally across the canvas, intersecting a luminous circular form that reads simultaneously as sun, core, and symbolic anchor. While the scale suggests monumentality, the fragmented, textured surface resists idealization. The work holds tension between stability and transformation, suggesting that even the most dominant forms remain subject to time and environmental forces.

The smaller works titled Silence operate in a more restrained register. Reduced in scale and composition, they isolate fragments of bark-like textures, encouraging close, attentive viewing. These works function as pauses within the exhibition, where silence becomes a space of concentration rather than absence.

What ultimately anchors the exhibition is its ecological sensibility. As noted in the curatorial text, Dixit observes the Nilgiri not as an isolated organism but as part of a network of interdependence—roots, branches, and surrounding systems functioning collectively. This framework extends metaphorically into the human condition, suggesting parallels between ecological balance and social relationships.

Dixit’s exhibition resists spectacle. Instead, it demands duration—an attentive, slowed engagement with surface, texture, and transformation. In doing so, it offers a quiet but compelling proposition: that to understand nature is not to represent it, but to remain present within its ongoing processes.

Review By Mukur Biswas