Delhi art exhibition, In Bloom, traces the five-decade journey of artist Shipra Bhattacharya

Returning to Delhi after a decade, Shipra Bhattacharya’s landmark solo exhibition In Bloom: A Journey through the Five Decades of Shipra Bhattacharya, curated by her daughter Jonaki Bhattacharya, offers a rare and resonant encounter with an artist who has quietly redefined the contours of Indian contemporary art. On view at CCA, Bikaner House, the exhibition traces Shipra’s unwavering commitment to figuration—foregrounding emotional depth, imaginative freedom, and moral clarity across five decades of practice. From solitary terrace figures to works that bear witness to collective trauma, Shipra’s introspective gaze remains both poetic and politically charged.

Shipra Bhattacharya traces her imaginaive freedom through this exhibition

The exhibition traces the evolution of her signature figuration, from early works that explore the solitude of urban women to later pieces that confront collective trauma. Her iconic motif of the woman on the terrace recurs throughout, symbolising imaginative freedom within the constraints of everyday reality. Yet, this introspective lens is not an escape—it is a form of witnessing. Works like Taposhi, which responds to the Singur tragedy, and War, a meditation on global conflict, reveal the artist’s fierce moral clarity and poetic resistance.

Shipra says, “This exhibition is not just a reflection of my artistic journey—it’s a mirror to the many inner landscapes I’ve traversed over the past five decades. Each work carries traces of silence and song, rupture and resilience. I’ve always believed that the quiet spaces within us hold immense power—not as an escape, but as a way of seeing the world more truthfully.

"Through these paintings, I’ve tried to honour the dignity of everyday life, the imaginative strength of women, and the moral urgency of bearing witness. In Bloom…. is my way of saying that introspection, too, can be a form of resistance,” she adds.

Among the standout works are monumental canvases such as Floating (2023), which offers a striking visual dialogue between lush botanical abundance and skeletal desolation, anchored by a central figure who bridges these opposing worlds with quiet grace. In He (2021), the male form becomes a palimpsest of urban memory, inscribed with miniature lives and poised at the edge of sea and city. People (2023) celebrates collective identity through dense figuration and chromatic richness, while Desire (2022) transforms longing into a mythic river that floods the urban subconscious. He (2023) reimagines masculinity as a nurturing vessel, and She (2023) internalizes divine myth, presenting an archetypal feminine universe. She (2002) remains a lyrical cornerstone, portraying the female figure as cosmic consciousness poised between reality and imagination.

Further highlights include Kolkata (2016), which renders the city as a sentient, melancholic landscape steeped in memory; Floating (2020), a dreamlike meditation on vulnerability and care during a time of global suspension; and Gaj Yatra (2018), where the elephant procession becomes a vessel of feminine solidarity. Works like War (2014) and Stop War (2014) mark a bold shift toward visceral abstraction, confronting historical trauma and collective suffering. The iconic Desire (1998) distills longing into sculptural elegance, while Floating (2021–22) translates Bhattacharya’s painterly language into sculpture, wrapping fine-lined narratives around a fiberglass form that invites intimate, multi-angled viewing.

Together, these works chart a journey through psychic landscapes, mythic embodiment, and the enduring power of witness—affirming Bhattacharya’s place as a visionary chronicler of the interior and the collective.

When: November 15–23, 2025 | 11 am to 7 pm

Where: CCA, Bikaner House, Pandara Road, New Delhi

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