Amitabh Shrivastav’s Shivohum 2.0 explores oneness and interconnectedness
Visual artist Amitabh Shrivastav’s solo exhibition, “Shivohum 2.0 — The Unification,” is being held from September 2 to 7, 2026, at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. The exhibition explores themes of coexistence, oneness in duality and interconnectedness through a visual language centred on red, black and their dynamic interplay.
The exhibition features acrylic paintings on canvas, along with an installation made using vetiver roots. Through his works, Shrivastav examines the meeting of seemingly contradictory forces and the possibility of finding unity within their coexistence.
A graduate in Fine Arts from Banaras Hindu University and a PhD in Art & Design from Sorbonne, France, Shrivastav has developed a multidisciplinary artistic practice spanning painting, sculpture, mixed-media installation, AI-Robotics and public art. His practice brings together ecological, philosophical and spiritual thought with contemporary artistic processes, exploring the relationship between human existence and the natural world.
Vetiver Roots as a Metaphor for Interconnectedness
In Shivohum 2.0: The Unification, Dr. Shrivastav draws inspiration from the intricate structures of vetiver roots (Chrysopogon zizanioides) and their ecological intelligence.
Known for their deep-reaching root systems that hold soil, conserve groundwater and participate in networks of natural exchange, vetiver becomes a metaphor for interconnected existence in the artist’s work.
The organic complexity of the roots informs his visual vocabulary, with branching forms, rhythmic movements and enveloping voids evoking bodily structures, circulation, memory and the womb as a site of creation.
Exploring the Union of Shiva and Shakti
A central theme of the exhibition is the philosophical union of Shiva and Shakti, represented through the contrasting yet interdependent energies of black and red.
Rather than presenting these forces as oppositional, Dr. Shrivastav considers their entanglement as fundamental to creation itself. His works explore how masculine and feminine energies can coexist beyond fixed binaries, suggesting a fluid understanding of identity, nature and existence.
Through richly layered acrylic paintings, colour, gesture and texture become vehicles for this process of unification. Red represents vitality, passion and generative energy, while black embodies depth, mystery and the unknown. Their convergence creates a visual tension that gradually transforms into harmony.
An Exploration of Coexistence and Wholeness
The Unification: Shivohum 2.0 invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with the body, nature and the forces that connect seemingly separate entities.
The exhibition ultimately presents coexistence not as an erasure of difference, but as a possibility of discovering wholeness through interconnectedness. Through his paintings and installation, Dr. Shrivastav brings together ecological, philosophical and spiritual ideas to examine the complex relationship between duality and unity.
