Russian artist Julia Usmanova’s solo in Delhi expresses her emotions about finding a home in another country

Creative individuals often travel and settle down in a place away from their birthplace. Such is the story of Russian artist Julia Usmanova who, despite coming from Russia has travelled and lived extensively across different cities in India. And now, she displays her idea of India through a collective of artworks are been on display since today at Bikaner House, New Delhi in the exhibition titled, 'When India Became Home'. What is so striking about her expressionism is how beautifully she upholds the nuances of Indianness.

What makes Russian artist Julia Usmanova’s solo intriguing?

Julia navigates around themes like feminine identity, nature, ornamentation, and lived experiences across cities like Delhi and Kolkata and merges everything together along with her Russian roots. One of the most eye-catching displays is her latest series called Bilateral Layerings, which is a depiction of young Indian women across cultures, traditions, habits, heritage through the way they dress themselves. One can easily spot items like jasmine flowers, birds, traditional ornaments, heritage weaves and much more. In fact, she also pays tribute to the fierce feminine side by combining her with the National animal – the tiger.

Apart from the face value of the images, if you really read through them, you would find layers of what the artist wants to portray in every canvas. Some of the canvases come out to have a dreamy sequence which divided time between reality and dreams. The animal imagery across her paintings is not just depicting the usual flora and fauna found in the country, or rather the countries, but also stands as symbols of hope, freedom, spirituality, and emotional connection. The tiger which appears prominently in her work, connects both the countries through the presence of the Royal Bengal tiger and Siberian tiger. This also reflects how the artist connects the domains of psychology and reality through imageries and motif symbols. Her expressions are a way to start a dialogue between Russia and India, combining experiences, memory and emotion.  

What: When India Became Home by Julia Usmanova

When: till June 23, 2026

Where: Main Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi

Timings: 11 am – 7 pm

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