India-born, Singapore-based artist Smrita Swarup will present a solo exhibition of paintings at Gallery Pradarshak, Khar West, Mumbai, from 16th to 22nd January 2026. Open to all with free entry, the exhibition brings together a recent body of work rooted in an expressionist vocabulary, unfolding as an immersive exploration of colour as emotion, memory, and movement. Artworks will be available for purchase during the exhibition.
| Exhibition | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of Exhibition | Solo Exhibition of Paintings |
| Artist | Smrita Swarup |
| Curation | Gallery Pradarshak |
| Artist Profile | India-born, Singapore-based artist |
| Venue | Gallery Pradarshak, Khar West, Mumbai |
| Exhibition Dates | 16th – 22nd January 2026 |
| Entry | Free |
| Primary Medium | Acrylic on canvas |
| Artistic Style | Expressionist abstraction |
| Availability | Artworks available for purchase |
| Contact for Enquiries | +91 9920386641 | pradarshak@gmail.com |
The Artist’s Process: Between Body and Spirit
Swarup’s practice is shaped by a sustained negotiation between physical exertion and spiritual introspection. Working primarily with acrylics, she approaches the canvas through an instinctive and layered process that is as demanding as it is meditative. Paint is applied, scraped away, and reworked repeatedly, creating surfaces that record endurance, fatigue, and persistence. Each canvas carries the imprint of emotional pressure and bodily engagement, translating inner turbulence into a material language. In this body of work, paint is not treated merely as a medium but as a site of resistance and release, bearing witness to both struggle and renewal.
Nature as Sensation, Not Representation
Rather than depicting nature in a literal or illustrative manner, Swarup’s paintings evoke it sensorially. Hints of florals, growth, water, and organic movement surface through dense textures and rhythmic gestures, only to dissolve again. These references to the natural world function as fleeting impressions rather than fixed images. Motifs associated with gardens and blooming forms recur across the works, shaped as much by accumulation as by erosion. Form, in this context, is never stable; it emerges momentarily before receding, allowing meaning to unfold slowly and intuitively.
An Exhibition Without a Fixed Narrative
The exhibition resists a singular narrative or prescribed reading. Instead, it reveals itself as a sequence of emotional states that move fluidly across the gallery space. Viewers encounter moments of joy, calm, curiosity, and quiet contemplation, with no single work asserting dominance over the others. Together, the paintings create an immersive environment that encourages slow viewing and introspection. Colour becomes both language and experience—an invitation to pause, reflect, and engage with the subtleties of mood and sensation.
Process as Inquiry and Transformation
Swarup’s approach foregrounds process as a form of inquiry. The physicality of mark-making, the repetition of gestures, and the visible traces of revision underscore the idea that meaning is not fixed but continually negotiated. The surfaces retain evidence of what has been built up and worn away, suggesting that transformation is inseparable from effort and time. This emphasis on process aligns with the exhibition’s broader focus on emotional endurance and renewal, where resolution is not immediate but gradually earned.
Takeaway
Set within the intimate setting of Gallery Pradarshak in Khar West, the exhibition offers a contemplative counterpoint to the pace of contemporary life. The works invite viewers to engage with abstraction not as distance but as proximity—to feeling, memory, and the rhythms of the body. By privileging sensation over representation, the exhibition opens a space where viewers can encounter their own emotional responses without the pressure of interpretation.
The solo exhibition by Smrita Swarup will be on view from 16th to 22nd January 2026 at Gallery Pradarshak, Mumbai. Entry is free, and artworks will be available for purchase.
