MUMBAI.- "Kashi Yatra" by Mamta Malhotra brings the Wonders of Benaras to life, 15th to 21st November 2022 at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. Born in Mumbai, Mamta Malhotra, grew up amid beautiful valleys, mountains and gardens in Kashmir, Poona, Gangtok and Bhutan. Summer family vacations were always accompanied by oil paints and easels and included painting the beautiful landscape with her father, an avid painter. Surrounded by tree lined avenues of flaming Gulmohur, Amaltas and Jacaranda trees, she earned a degree in Architecture from the Corbusier designed Chandigarh College of Architecture, graduating with a silver medal. Next, in Delhi, she painted and learnt sculpture with Rameshwar Broota, Shobha Broota and Pradip Saxena, at the Triveni Kala Sangam.

Mamta has lived and worked in Varanasi, Toronto and San Francisco; and has designed residences, art galleries, art residencies, boutiques, and numerous interior and landscape design projects. Dividing her time between the oldest living city and "Kashi Yatra" by Mamta Malhotra brings the Wonders Of Benaras to life, 15th to 21st November 2022 at Jehangir Art Gallery.

Simplicity, integration with nature, relevance to her cultural identity and heritage are the trademarks of her work. An artist’s soul trapped in an architect’s body, Mamta finds freedom by surrendering to the creative flow of art. She enjoys exploring the interplay of line, colour, form and texture through urban landscapes and abstract studies.

Her true inspiration is drawn from the city of Varanasi, a conglomeration of texture and colour. The juxtaposition and contrast of the urban fabric, a rich culture, a timeless way of life that was rooted in nature, have inspired her to paint cityscapes highlighting the ephemeral beauty and fragility of Varanasi, while evoking the intense vitality of an ancient and vibrant lifestyle.




Mamta has received an honours certificate from the Royal Drawing Society in London. Her artwork has been featured in a New York Times bestseller coffee table book, the HarperCollins catalogue and Architecture Week magazine. In India her work has been mentioned in Inside Outside, Design Today, Society, Better Interiors, Femina, Spice Route, Navuthan magazine and a host of national magazines and newspapers. She has done a residency, painting at the Pottery workshop in Jingdezhen. Her critically acclaimed work has been exhibited at the Visual Arts Gallery, a solo show at the Open Palm Court Gallery at the Habitat Centre, at the Triveni Kala Sangam annual exhibition, at the Art Laureate gallery, Lado Sarai, the Trump Tower, New Rochelle, USA, and other prestigious venues.

As Anselm Kiefer said, ”Art is longing.You never arrive but you keep hoping you will.”
Art gives me joy and energy, and I hope that this desire to find beauty, perfection and optimism is extended to the viewer.

KASHI YATRA

Shankar ji ki nagari, with folklore dating back to the beginning of creation, lost in the mists of time, creation and destruction, life and salvation, myths and history, life and the afterlife - all addressed and solved in this city. Saints from every religion have walked on this soil: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. They sowed the seeds that are still flowering and bearing fruit today. Ved Vyas, Buddha, Ramananda, Tulsidas, Kabir Das, Ravi Das, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Guru Govind Singh and Guru Nanak have made Benaras their abode. It is also the birthplace of four Jain Tirthankaras.

In these troubled times, Kashi, the oldest living city in the world, stands as a beacon of hope. Varanasi, which has stood on the banks of the Ganga since time immemorial, has been plundered and looted, its many grand temples razed to the ground, yet it vibrantly stands as a testimonial to human resilience and faith. This timelessness, energy and hope for humanity, seen historically in this city - the order in the chaos, is my inspiration. The urban landscape grew out of the architecture and technology of thousands of years ago and yet seems beautifully relevant to today's times. Human existence and activity are the lifeblood of the city. In all seasons, Ganga Ma is central to the inhabitants daily existence, even today. The day starts with a holy dip at dawn, the chiming of temple bells and the busy commercial activities in the ‘galis’. The streets are alive with human activity of people who live in the city or are pilgrims from across the country, or even the world. Varanasi is a true reflection of humanity's reverence for nature, a real understanding on how life depends on the delicate balance between the earth, her creatures, her seasons, and nature’s generosity. We seem to be slowly losing this symbiotic connection of simplicity, beauty and balance.

This unmistakable Benarasi skyline holds within it the ancient, the new and hope for the future. Benaras is rooted to its traditions, faith and masti. As the country moves toward urbanization, we ponder how best to maintain our essence while embracing the future and respecting nature and the environment.