If you could talk about the influences of your formative years in Kerala on your art — from exposure to social movements to literature and your surroundings.
When I joined art school, there was a lot of exposure to German Expressionism. The environment was very political and bohemian, in the backdrop of the Naxalite movement. We were also exposed to international films, and there was a culture of little magazines in Kerala, which were avant-garde publications that were very experimental and political. I was also part of this art group called Die Brücke (The Bridge), founded by German artists Karl Rottluff and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and other expressionists such as Erich Heckel, George Grosz and Gustav Klimt. This exposure had a very profound impact on me. The art practices we were pursuing were not narrative; it was not storytelling. It was only in Baroda that I was exposed to the narrative in art. Yet, that early exposure left a very strong impact on me as we captured emotions. Even today, when I do these self-portraits, I feel I return to that non-narrative style of painting.
Compared to the social critique in your early photorealist engagements, your watercolours in your ongoing exhibition “Mirror Man, Mirror Me” are more meditative. If you could talk about this transformation.
Earlier, in my paintings, I was responding to the current social and political issues — times of war, Babri Masjid incident — looking at the humanitarian aspect. When that subject matter dominated my paintings, which a lot of artists at the time were also doing, I realised I was losing something — the painting itself and its endless possibilities. I thought that this is not what I wanted to do. I wanted to explore my painting areas and for them to last irrespective of the time frame. Subjects might change, they might not stay forever, but the art of painting can last forever. I recall Ram Kumar stating how when you are young, the subject matter is important but as you grow old, the paint itself becomes the subject matter. I feel that is the stage I’m gravitating towards, where my paintings become the subject matter, with endless possibilities.
Subjects might change, they might not stay forever, but the art of painting can last forever. (Source: PR handout)
Do you see the mirror as a witness or a critic in the set of works?
I see the mirror as a reflector, it reflects everything. I don’t see it as a critic but rather a witness and a reflection. I believe there are two kinds of realities, one is given and one is personal. I like to look at the world from a more personal perspective. A painter is essentially a mirror man, wanting to reflect the world. The idea is to look from within, delve deeper into the subtle nuances of the world as it exists.
The catalogue essay by art historian Parul Dave Mukherji begins with a question:“How does a contemporary artist like Shibu Natesan embrace painting in the age of the digital and AI?” If you could share your view on the same.
Story continues below this ad
Technological advancement and AI, all this computer and technology of now is parallel; it is not my world. As a painter, I am untouched by all these things. I am a painter — I explore people, cultures, emotions, and I paint.
If you could talk about turning to the self in the ‘Self-portrait’ series.
My self-portraits emerge from an existential point of view, of self- analysing myself. I am very interested in art and literature that looks into existentialism, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and others. Existence interests me in a spiritual sense also and that is why all these authors interest me. Looking at myself is also looking at the world but not in a narcissistic sense, I am not glorifying myself. It is interesting to note that through these self-portraits, I am myself becoming a design.
Mukherji also describes you as a “scientist’s artist”. If you could comment on that.
Story continues below this ad
I feel like I am an ethnographic or topographic painter. I aim to capture the present, the fleeting moment. It is a rather challenging task to do so; painting in public, travelling and painting, not from the comfort of my studio. People are rather judgmental, but I have noticed that it also allows me to interact with different people, overcome my introversion and understand them. For me, it is about freezing the moment, documenting my time, capturing the things around me.
Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice.
With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India.
Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale.
She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters.
Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory.
The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions.
Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović).
Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India:
1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival
"At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors.
"Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers.
"At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025).
"Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention.
2. M.F. Husain & Modernism
"Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum.
"Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025).
3. Art Market & Records
"Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million.
"All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025).
"What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork.
4. Art Education & History
"Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025).
"A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art.
Signature Beats
Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More
Subjects might change, they might not stay forever, but the art of painting can last forever. (Source: PR handout)