Artist Shailaja S. Kamat Showcases Her Cityscapes at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery from 7th to 13th September
At 80, Shailja S. Kamat finally realizes a lifelong dream with a solo show at Mumbai’s historic Jehangir Art Gallery. Titled Beyond the Shapes, the exhibition runs from 7‑13 September 2026 and offers a vibrant meditation on urban life.
Kamat’s canvases turn familiar cityscapes into abstract compositions. By playing with light, weather and the hum of daily routines, she renders houses, temples, factories and streets in shifting palettes that suggest both the bustle of the metropolis and the quiet of a rainy night.
The show presents 35‑40 acrylic works created over eight months. Each piece distills four decades of Indian change, from village lanes to soaring skyscrapers, and often weaves human silhouettes into architectural forms, hinting at the personal stories that animate the built environment.
What makes the show especially resonant is the artist’s own journey. After decades of painting privately, a mentorship at 75 sparked a prolific late‑career phase, culminating in this confident, colour‑rich body of work. Kamat’s message to viewers is simple: art can bloom at any age, offering joy and a fresh way to see the world.