03 January,2026 10:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Rumani Gabhare
An encounter where meaning shifts and truth remains in motion, 2025. PICS COURTESY/ASHA SHETTY
What is your excuse for putting off learning a new skill? Asha Shetty, a Mumbai-based artist, decided to start well into her 40s. There was no plan for a gallery wall or a solo exhibition then. The empty nest syndrome after her children moved out of the house for education, while husband's work kept him busy, left her searching for something to fill the hours. "Art was something I enjoyed since childhood, and what started as curiosity slowly turned into a daily practice - one shaped by quick YouTube tutorials, trial-and-error, and to recreate art," mentions Shetty.
Initially when Shetty started her artistic journey, the paintings were simple, it was usually on paper with the help of acrylic colours, only after she graduated in 2024 is when she decided to deep dive into her art and focus on other materials and textures as well. "I've always loved painting ever since I was young, I remember disliking other subjects and focusing only on art. As mentioned above, after my children went away, it was the loneliness that brought out the artist in me," says Shetty.
The SoBo-resident shared, "My first subject was something I had a personal affection for. Ten years ago, on Ganesh Chaturthi, I picked up a set of small 12 x 12-inch canvases and painted eight Ganesh figures. That is when my journey truly began." To her surprise, the customers who bought her paintings loved the way she had painted the emotive eyes of Lord Ganesh.
The positive response to these works encouraged her to continue on the path. Commissioned works followed - often around devotional themes or recreations based on reference images - and group exhibitions soon after.
But creating art on your own was not quite enough. In 2016, Shetty enrolled in certificate courses at Sir JJ School of Arts to hone her skills over the course of three years. She was in her 50s then, but surprisingly that did not deter her spirit. "During this course, we were taught multiple things - painting, landscape, and portrait studies." Her graduation in 2018 meant that she qualified for a solo exhibition at one of Mumbai's most revered art spaces - The Jehangir Art Gallery.
During the post COVID-19 era, she dabbled in various art courses including, a Diploma in Painting and Drawing and a Post-graduate certificate in Indian Aesthetics from Jnanapravaha Mumbai.
This impending solo has also been a catalyst of her ideas as well. Over the last two years, Shetty's work has undergone a noticeable shift. "I had to be very serious, particularly in terms of originality," she said. The devotional figurative works gave way to experimentation across mediums - ink, textured surfaces, abstraction, and layered compositions.
Her first solo exhibition, Between Form and Silence, reflects this transition. The exhibition brings together contemplative figures, abstract structures, ink works, yantra-inspired compositions, and textured panels with subtle three-dimensional effects.
"In this exhibition, the figures appear as presences rather than portraits, existing alongside abstract structures, geometry, and elements drawn from nature and rituals," says Shetty. All this comes together to create a subtle dialogue between the personal and the universal.
Shetty concluded by saying, "Art, for me, is a sacred journey with abundant exploration and expression. My true inspiration is nature, ancient wisdom, and the mysteries of the cosmos."
TILL January 4; 11 am onwards
AT Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Fort.
ENTRY FREE
