New Delhi, Sep 28, 2026: Artist and curator Manisha Gawade and Ehsaas present Into the Abstract, a digital painting exhibition bringing together eight artists from September 24th to October 24th, 2026. The exhibition brings together diverse artistic practices that look beyond literal representation to explore perception, emotion, memory, movement and the intangible aspects of human experience through colour, form, texture and visual rhythm.
The exhibition brings together Anita Kulkarni, Manisha Gawade, Niladri Paul, Nupur Kundu, Rashmi Khurana, Sangeeta Gupta, Shridhar Iyer and Siraj Saxena around the idea that abstraction can offer another way of experiencing and interpreting reality. What sets Into the Abstract apart is the diversity of approaches within a single exhibition. Though each artist approaches abstraction through a different visual language, their practices converge in a shared impulse—to move beyond literal representation and translate inner experiences into colour, form, texture, rhythm and space.
ABOUT EHSAAS
Founded in 2012 by Manisha Gawade and the late Dr Alka Raghuvanshi, Ehsaas is a multidisciplinary arts organisation that brings diverse artistic practices and voices onto a common platform. Its work spans painting, sculpture, dance, music, theatre, textiles and craft, creating intersections between traditional and contemporary art. Through its pioneering wearable art initiative and subsequent projects, Ehsaas has explored new ways of connecting art forms and creating engaging experiences for audiences.
The digital format also allows these varied practices to come together in a space that can reach audiences beyond the conventional gallery.
“Abstraction allows us to step away from the need to immediately recognise or define what we see. It gives us the freedom to experience a work through our own memories, emotions and perceptions. With Into the Abstract, I wanted to bring together artists who approach this space very differently, so that the exhibition becomes not just a presentation of works, but a shared journey into what lies beyond the obvious,” said Manisha Gawade, curator of Into the Abstract.
About Curator, Artist and Founder of Ehsaas Manisha Gawade
Manisha Gawade is an internationally acclaimed Indian artist, curator, designer and journalist, and co-founder of Ehsaas. Her artistic practice is informed by her engagement with Indian, Western and West Asian visual cultures. She has participated in over 154 international group exhibitions and 28 solo exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, while her work has also featured in a Christie’s auction. As a curator, she has presented over 48 major exhibitions, bringing together art, textiles, design and cultural heritage. Gawade is also committed to supporting traditional Indian weavers and has worked with hundreds of artisans to bring contemporary relevance to indigenous crafts. She was the first Indian artist to be patronised by the ruler of Dubai and continues to promote Indian arts and culture internationally.
About the Artists and their paintings
Anita Kulkarni
Kulkarni explores the complexities of the human mind through the metaphor of chess. Her layered compositions evoke choices, strategies, identities and the continuous movement between uncertainty and possibility.
Manisha Gawade
Manisha Gawade’s paintings explore the cosmic mandala through concentric orbits and luminous vortices, evoking the eternal cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution. Inspired by the Hindu concept of the cosmic womb, her works reflect the universe as an infinite source from which creation emerges and to which all existence returns.
Niladri Paul
Niladri Paul having a 30 years of experience in art, describes his art as an evolving experimental journey inspired by the energy of performing arts. Through unconstrained colours, expressive lines and dynamic forms, his paintings translate rhythm, sound and movement into visual euphoria. Blending classical allegory with contemporary life, his works bridge the figurative and abstract, celebrating emotion, harmony and the ethereal dimensions of existence.
Nupur Kundu
Nupur Kundu’s abstract paintings are shaped by her deep engagement with colour, movement and emotion, informed by her training in both Fine Arts and Kathak. With over 25 years of artistic practice, her works explore rhythm, energy and expressive abstraction, creating a visual dialogue between the fluidity of dance and the freedom of painting.
Rashmi Khurana
Rashmi Khurana’s paintings channel raw energy and emotion through vibrant reds, magentas and crimson, using gesture, movement and richly textured surfaces to explore identity, memory and lived experience. Her abstract compositions transform colour and material into intuitive expressions of cultural memory, emotion and the passage of time.
Sangeeta Gupta
Sangeeta Gupta’s Aadiyogi Shiv — A Journey in Cosmic Indigo explores the dialogue between tradition and contemporary expression. Through indigo, Dabu mud-resist, natural dyes and handspun khaddar, she transforms traditional techniques into meditative works that explore spirituality, colour, texture and the transformative energy of material.
Shridhar Iyer
Shridhar Iyer’s paintings explore spirituality through organic forms, fluid movement and unconventional materials. Inspired by nature and the graceful vocabulary of Odissi, his works unfold like poems in motion, blending an inherently Indian sensibility with a contemporary visual language. His acrylic on canvas Jatra (2021) reflects this exploration of movement, rhythm and the spiritual journey.
Siraj Saxena
Siraj Saxena’s multidisciplinary practice spans painting, ceramics, graphics and sculpture, exploring the relationship between art, nature and everyday life. His works reflect a sensitivity towards aesthetics, environment and human experience, rooted in his belief that art can nurture peace, compassion and a more harmonious way of living.
Into the Abstract is therefore not simply an exhibition of abstract paintings. It is an invitation to pause before the visible, look beyond the obvious and discover what may exist between colour and emotion, form and memory, gesture and thought.
In bringing these eight voices together, Ehsaas creates a digital space where diverse artistic practices can coexist, converse and reach audiences beyond the conventional gallery.
The exhibition will also be available online from September 24th to October 24th, 2026, across the following social media platforms: