Raj is a painter from Kolkata who has done multiple exhibitions in his city. This is the first time he is displaying his artwork in Mumbai, Kala Ghoda.

Raj has written a poem piece for each of his paintings. To celebrate this exhibition, we have an inauguration event where poets will be reading out his poetry accompanied with pleasant flute music.

This Mumbai painting exhibition is from 1st to 9th Feb, you can visit it any day between 11 am to 6 pm.

"In a long past, painting was a hobby to me. Gradually it became my passion, my love and now it is my life. I work mainly with acrylic on canvas. But I love to experiment with different forms with different media. My paintings are the reflection of my dreams and thoughts which are depicted as poems. It speaks for love, peace, women empowerment, nature. It also stands against war, hatred, gender discrimination and pollution. "

"When I was a teenager, my paintings were realistic, but gradually I inclined towards surrealism and abstract realism due to influences from my daily life, nature, different states of mind and emotions. I’ve been greatly influenced by various painters like Rabindranath Tagore, MF Hussain, Ganesh Pyne, Pablo Picasso, Van Gough , some famous poets, like Jibanananda Das, Rabindranath Tagore, Sunil Ganguly, some great film makers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Andrei Tarkovsky and so on. In my paintings, Romanticism has come repeatedly in different forms depending on the subject matter. Sometimes it comes as a melancholic tone, sometimes it is the addiction, sometimes it is the death as the beginning of a new life. Through my artworks, I try to capture the tranquility, mystery and beauty of nature at different places like the casuarina forest of Shankarpur, the hills of Susunia, falls of Rocky Island etc."

"Overall the artworks depict the culture, heritage and beauty of Bengal and India with its uniqueness and unification with global culture and heritage."

Poets performing:

Benaifer Mirza

Deboshree Ghosh

Ankit Verma

Hansika Jethnani

Benaifer Mirza is an Independent Lifestyle Writer, Content Developer, and Voice Artiste. Reading and writing poetry has been one of Benaifer's greatest interests since childhood. A lover of words, she often uses the medium of poems and short prose to express herself. Benaifer believes that the beauty of a piece of prose or poetry is in its simplicity and uncomplicated nature and structure, and tries to bring that in her words, too. She intends to add a touch of her voice to her words some day.

Deboshree Ghosh:

An eclectic person, Deboshree believes that life is art and everything around us are designs of existence. She is into healing and arts therapy, a believer of alternative education, and also a moody writer who tries to delve into the intricacies and complexities of poetry whenever she wants to catch a breath and observe life from a vantage point.

Ankit Verma:

A copywriter on weekdays and an amateur poet on weekends! Ankit writes and performs his poetry at obscure open mic events. His dancing skills get him more accolades than his writing. He is proud of his bookshelf and collection of his printed shirts.

Hansika Jethnani

Hansika Jethnani is a poet, visual artist and queer body positive femme based in Mumbai. She has previously lived in Jakarta, Shanghai and London. Her work explores a variety of themes including sexuality, trauma, healing, mental health, body positivity, and migration. She is interested in decolonisation and the dismantling of oppressive structures institutionalised within wider society. She has previously performed at Crystal Palace Festival and the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her poems have been published in two anthologies, Fearless Love & Love As We Know It.