Trading cabin announcements for canvas conversations, Harshini Kishan’s journey into art reads like a plot twist she never quite planned. Once navigating skies as a flight attendant, today she navigates colour, fabric, faith, and form with the same conviction. What looks like a dramatic career switch is, in her words, simply life nudging her toward what was always meant to be. As she reflects, her latest exhibition Siddhivinayaka, becomes both a personal milestone and a deeply intuitive offering.
“My artistic journey began quite organically. Talent and creativity often lie dormant until life nudges us toward them,” says Harshini. Growing up in Mumbai, art was always present for her even when she briefly detoured into science and then aviation. “I dreamt of becoming a pilot,” she recalls, before realising that something was missing. That moment of clarity came during a college art exhibition. “Why was I pursuing something that didn’t ignite my spirit?” she thought. Soon after, she shifted paths, completed her Bachelor of Visual Arts, worked as a flight attendant, and eventually returned fully to art.
That deeply personal arc finds resonance in Siddhivinayaka, her first solo exhibition, which moves fluidly between devotion and experimentation. “Siddhivinayaka is more than an exhibition—it is a spiritual and artistic journey,” Harshini explains. Rooted in her belief in Lord Ganesha, “the remover of obstacles and the giver of wisdom,” the show mirrors her own navigation through challenges, transitions, and growth.
The works displayed in the showcase are richly layered, both materially and symbolically. Visitors encounter paintings and mixed-media pieces that incorporate bells, Rajasthani jharokhas, Kalawa Swastik symbols, stitched threads, textiles, and tassels. Each work feels less like an object and more like an offering, she says. “I see art not just as decoration, but as a living ritual. I work with materials that speak to both tradition and experimentation—fabric, pigment, metal, and thread, layering them to build visual prayers.”
Entry with museum tickets. On till December 29. 10 am – 6 pm. Closed on Tuesdays. At Kadambari Gallery, DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum, ECR.
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