The artistic voice of freedom
An exhibition weaving heritage, imagination, and freedom through sixty-five diverse artistic voices
Art anchors human memory to the earth we walk upon while giving flight to our deepest inner thoughts. This balance between grounded heritage and boundless imagination drives Threads of Freedom 2.0: A Journey from Soil to Soul. Curated by Saloni Wadhwa for the Akatva Arts Foundation, the current gathering at New Delhi’s Visual Art Gallery brings together over sixty-five distinct voices who have been granted absolute liberty to weave their personal and cultural narratives into vivid physical forms.
The collection presents a fascinating look at how Indian artists currently handle different materials to tell their stories. Shambhunath Goswami immediately draws the eye with Purnima Night Puja, a large acrylic canvas that captures the warm glow of evening riverbank rituals. Nearby, Raghu Vyas showcases classical portraiture skills in his detailed oil painting Rembrandt, creating a quiet moment that naturally makes observers pause and look more closely.
The artists manipulate their chosen materials to tell compelling contemporary stories. Kapil Kapoor shapes industrial fibre-reinforced polymer into a dynamic sculptural piece titled Enlightenment, complementing the traditional canvases hanging nearby. Pratibha Awasthi invites deep reflection with her lush oil composition Beyond the Word, standing in powerful thematic contrast to the urgent environmental commentary found in Shubhamdeep Kaur’s striking piece Exploitation of Nature.
Bold colour palettes dominate the gallery space, especially visible in Priya Luthra’s expansive acrylic piece Life and Zutshi’s serene oil canvas Sartal te Pamposh.
Through these incredibly varied expressions, the exhibition succeeds as a vital cultural space where creators celebrate the enduring ties between personal identity and our shared national roots.
True to You but Me captures identity, memory and emotion through four expressive mixed-media portraits, inviting viewers to reflect on the many layers of self
