Kapila Nahender’s oil and mixed media paintings explore the complex and deeply personal relationship between the devotee, the deity and ritual practice. They are abstract, yet experiential such that the viewer has the opportunity to feel something through the art.

Religious symbolism is not new in art. Often they provide arguments—challenging codes and creating a polemic. But the iconography in Kapila Nahendar’s recent show, “Faith & Patience”, embraced acceptance, inclusivity and tolerance. Amidst the controversies of today’s world, there isn’t a lot of space left for conventional belief systems. But for some, faith perseveres. The artist is a deeply spiritual person—evident through her show is a tribute to her daily rituals and practices.

These things spill onto the canvas—in her paintings are religious offerings… dried flowers, sacred threads, prayer beads and garlands of paper on which are inscribed handwritten prayers. In another, the giant string of rosary beads emphasises the use of unconventional materials in her practice.

At the entrance to the show, there was a lively painting in blue and violet. Upon closer examination, those colours were from real flowers. The first exhibit contained a twig of white Bougainvillaea; significant maybe because the artist’s grandfather was known to have won a horticultural competition for growing a particular variety of that flower.

Art lined the left-hand side of the gallery, while the right side of the room featured a painted rock-like sculpture, a life-size strand of prayer beads, and a set-up of various propitiation to the gods. Another piece is a larger painting with a purple-red rose and a garland of prayer notes. One of the paintings was covered in intertwined threads, crisscrossing across the canvas and blending with the lush swatches of paint—one of the few paintings in the whole show that isn’t purple. 

On the wall on the right were a set of glass shelves—idols wrapped in white cloth and string and dyed in a vibrant hue of purple. This dye, Nahendar said, is a special type of kumkum sourced from Andhra—the powder synonymous with vermillion. The purple leitmotif of the show, made an appearance on the artist as she matched the collection with a purple stole across her shoulders. For context, this particular pigment has connotations of higher thought, mysticism and wisdom—a representation apt to the theme.

Faith, hope, resilience and introspection were the defining themes in Kapila Nahender’s collections—a testament to the artist’s own strength and perseverance as a woman; and her inspiringly positive outlook on life.

Kapila Nahendar’s solo show, Faith & Patience, opened on 27th October 2023 at 1 Shanti Road gallery in Bangalore and ran through till 1st November 2023.

Check out Kapila Nahender's studio and printmaking workshop is listed here: https://bangalore.explocity.com/bangalore-guide/listing/studio-sakura/