Ahmedabad–based artist Sima Patel’s solo exhibition, Naaritva, comes to Bengaluru

In her upcoming solo exhibition Naaritva, meaning the essence of womanhood, acclaimed Ahmedabad–based artist Sima Patel celebrates womanhood by featuring over 40 compelling works. The showcase captures the quiet strength, resilience and layered beauty of the feminine spirit.

“Naaritva emerged from an intimate exploration of what it means to embody womanhood, not just biologically, but emotionally, spiritually and culturally. I’ve always felt that womanhood is layered with grace, resilience and revolutions. Through black and white oil on canvas, I wanted to distil that essence, strip away distractions and portray the raw, unfiltered emotional landscape of being a woman. The absence of colour allowed me to focus on form, shadow and gesture to tell stories that feel timeless and universal,” Sima begins.

Sima Patel celebrates womanhood through Naaritva

Feminine journey

Each piece in Naaritva captures a different facet of the feminine journey. For example, one canvas portrays a woman with her eyes closed, head tilted upward — it speaks of inner strength, surrender and spiritual awakening. Another shows intertwined female forms, almost merging into one another, representing sisterhood and inherited wisdom. There’s also a work where the figure seems to dissolve into her surroundings, a commentary on invisibility and self-erasure, which many women experience at some point.

The works oscillate between the deeply personal and the quietly political. When enquired, how she would rather describe Naaritva as — autobiographical, observational or universal in its portrayal of womanhood, she replied, “It’s definitely a blend of all three. It began as an autobiographical inquiry — trying to understand myself better — but soon I realised these emotions, fears and triumphs weren’t just mine. They belong to many women, across cultures and generations. So while the lens may be personal or observational at times, the result feels universal. I think every woman can find a fragment of herself in Naaritva,” she reveals

Visual language

Drawing from a rich palette of mediums — from oil and acrylic to graphite and coffee — the artist’s visual language is both intimate and expansive. “Each medium has a voice of its own and I choose based on what the story demands. Oil allows for depth and intensity; it’s ideal for emotionally dense themes. Watercolour feels more ethereal and fleeting, perfect for tender moments or memories. Coffee, with its organic unpredictability, adds a layer of earthiness and warmth. I let the concept lead the choice of medium, almost like casting an actor in the right role,” the painter shares.

Sima also narrated to us how oil gives her the freedom to layer, to build texture over time, much like the way experiences accumulate in a woman’s life. But it’s slow, as it requires patience, just like transformation. Watercolour, on the other hand, is immediate and demands decisiveness; it mirrors the spontaneity and vulnerability in moments of womanhood. “Coffee staining rather than painting is something I find symbolic of the way certain societal expectations leave lasting imprints on women. It’s also ephemeral; it fades over time, which speaks to the transient nature of roles women play — daughter, mother, lover, creator — and how they often go unrecognised,” she notes.

Everyday rhythms

As an artist based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat — a city where contrasts of heritage and modernity coexist in a beautifully complex way — the everyday rhythms, the women Sima observes in markets, temples and homes, became a constant source of her inspiration.

“There’s a quiet strength in how they carry themselves, often unnoticed. My environment taught me to see poetry in resilience and to create from a place that honours the ordinary as extraordinary. The cultural richness of Gujarat — textiles, folklore, rituals — also subtly feed into my aesthetic sensibility,” she recalls.

Questions identity roles

Through this solo exhibition, Sima hopes that, emotionally, the women feel seen, whether they identify as women or not. “I want them to sense the strength, sorrow, grace and beauty that exists within the feminine experience. Intellectually, I hope the works provoke questions about identity, roles and societal conditioning. Spiritually, I wish for a moment of quiet reflection — a space where viewers can connect with something deeper, something eternal,” she concludes.

Entry free. June 25–29, 10.30 am to 6.30 pm. At Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kumara Krupa Road.

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