Poetry on Canvas

Radhika Seksaria… a woman of substance

Radhika Seksaria’s journey with the paintbrush is as old as her first stirrings of creativity. Known best for her Sufi art, an upcoming solo exhibition titled ‘Sukoon – Stillness Through Movement’, at The Taj Palace, Mumbai will present select pieces from the prolific artist’s latest collection.

Radhika Seksaria started painting as a young girl, in her hometown, Ghorukpur, Uttar Pradesh. An eager learner, she tried her hand at different styles of painting as she grew up, until marriage took her to the city of dreams, Mumbai. While managing her new life as a wife, daughter-in-law and later as a mother, to hone her skills, she simultaneously took lessons from a renowned teacher from JJ School of Arts and this helped her further learn the finer nuances of various art forms.

After 15 years of marriage, once she finished her familial responsibilities, Radhika started painting professionally. She was committed to her art, which for her was a form of meditation and a way to express her inner self on canvas. To her, art and the ability to create was not just priceless, but also a true blessing. To date, she has bought to life hundreds of pieces of art and exhibited her works in over 100 solo and group shows in major cities across the world, including London, Dubai and USA.

Radhika’s greatest joy and inspiration has been and continues to be the happiness that she is able to bring to other peoples’ lives through her art. She finds inspiration in nature, music, books, etc, and believes in dwelling in the emotions of all forms of creativity, as these act as stimuli to her own imagination, helping her capture everything in every minute detail on canvas, be it an object, movement or person. Radhika is known for using techniques that capture the difference in light, which brings each piece of art to life. Many who have witnessed her works have commented that her blend of colors and the depth and intensity of light in her paintings evoke a sense of calm and peace. One of her clients even went on to say that Radhika’s art is like soulful poetry on canvas.

Since art is a spiritual journey for Radhika, it wouldn’t be surprising to many that her first exhibition was inspired by Meerabai. Later she went on to discover Rumi, a renowned poet from the 13th century who greatly inspired her. She has continued to be inspired by him and Sufi art ever since, capturing movement and using everyday life like him in her works to demystify and dwell deeper into her spiritual world.

In Radhika’s words, ‘Art is a joyful celebration of life,’ and so she continues to feel joy and spread joy through her artistic journey, one canvas at a time. She is currently working on her next solo exhibition that is to be held at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai from March 14–15, 2019. Titled Sukoon – Stillness Through Movement, it is a series of 21 select paintings from her latest collection of Sufi art.

Radhika feels that today, when everyone is caught in the hustle and bustle of modern life, people often have no time to rest or hear their own thoughts. Even after having everything, something seems to be amiss. On delving deeper, its ‘Sukoon’ (or peace) that seems to be missing in their everyday life. Inspired, Radhika took to her brush to change this. Each painting in the Sukoon series showcases movement that aims to evoke a strong emotion in admirers, every time they see the painting. It helps them stop for a moment and be fully engaged with the visual and simultaneously be enveloped in the stillness within themselves.

Talking about her works and her inspiration, Radhika quotes lines by Pablo Picasso that are close to her heart: “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” She has been, in fact, dwelling deeply on these lines in her daily life to find inspiration for Sukoon.

Over the years, Radhika’s passion for Rumi’s art has made her a well-known name in the art circuit. She has received many prizes and awards including the Women Entrepreneurship Award at the 3rd Asiad Literature Festival in 2017. Apart from being lauded by renowned personalities from different walks of life, her work adorns the walls of many a collector and art aficionado.