Immerse in this new exhibition in Mumbai that traces a unique artistic journey through the canvas

Sheetal Gattani at work in her studio. PICs COURTESY/Mukul Kapoor; Gurman Kaur; Chemould Prescott Road

If we look at the age-old traditional way of making art, it usually starts with a white canvas accompanied by colourful strokes and colours. For Sheetal Gattani, an alumna of Sir JJ School of Art, the process is slightly different, as it begins in black. With her solo exhibition, Harvesting Light, curated by Anurag Khanna, she brings together works spanning more than three decades, from 1991 to her more recent paintings, bringing together different stages of her artistic practice.

Our first question was, ‘Why the colour black?' To which Gattani explains that black isn't simply a colour but the starting point. "I use the black as my base point to start off with, funnily enough, when I work with a white canvas, it gives me stage fright."

Gattani with curator Anurag Khanna at the gallery

The exhibition showcases her early watercolours from the 1990s with her more recent acrylic works on canvas. She elaborates, "While the materials have changed, there is a thread connecting the works across the years with newer paintings that also introduce a more sculptural element, with raised surfaces and cuts that take the work beyond a flat canvas." The title Harvesting Light emerges from the way Gattani works with natural light. It is a practice that has remained important to her, even as her work has developed over the years.

Untitled work by Gattani

Curator Anurag Khanna, explains, "I'd like to quote American philosopher and art critic, David Carrier who says, ‘…most of the paintings are discussed and described by the story or a symbolic meaning that they convey outside the painting itself and that is the most popular means of experiencing a painting by "what" of the painting,' and that is a line that resonated with me when it came to this exhibition."

Gattani sums up the takeaway for visitors to her show, "Don't wait to associate it with anything; spend time with it; instead, return to the works and allow their own responses to develop, as the approach is simple: the process is the story."

Till: October 10; 6 pm to 9 pm
At: Chemould Prescott Road, Queens Mansion, Fort.