Nature Morte is currently presenting Flower Sutra, a solo exhibition by senior Indian artist Manu Parekh, at their Dhan Mill gallery in New Delhi, India. The exhibition is on view from February 27 – March 30, 2025, bringing together over twenty small and large works by the Indian painter, the majority of which have been created since 2020. As the show’s title suggests, flowers form a central motif for the works on view, intermingling themes of religion, creation and destruction, and life and death.

The works at Flower Sutra possess a strong sense of movement, most often from a circular point of origin or travelling in a circular path.

Parekh has been creating art since the 1970s and has engaged with religious themes across his career. His 2017 works such as The Last Supper and Image of Goddess—which references the Hindu goddess Durga—carry an overt religiosity. Meanwhile, his famous Banaras series, which began in the 1980s, captures the vibrancy of the holy city, mixing depictions of its temple architecture with Hindu symbolism, such as the delicate eyes associated with the divine figure Vishnu (who is known by some as Kamalnayan or ‘lotus-eyes’), and the Tripundra—a forehead marking with three horizontal lines—symbolising the deity Shiva’s command over wisdom, willpower and action. Many of the works at Nature Morte continue his fascination with the divine, though here he expresses this through his depictions of flowers. The gallery’s press release quotes the artist, stating, "Where there is faith, there will be the presence of flowers. Life, birth, marriage and death: flowers will be there. I have visited the Vatican, Ajmer, Nizamuddin Auliya's dargah, gurudwaras and Banaras. There were only two things common to all these places: faith and flowers."

Upon entering Nature Morte’s gallery, one is immediately faced with the larger pieces in the show. There is a palpable, almost overwhelming energy in the air channelling through Parekh’s vibrant paintings. Works such as the massive Third Eye of Shiva - II (2023) possess a commanding and hypnotic quality, drawing the viewer in towards them. Several works in the show explore Parekh’s multifarious perspective on Shiva, with Third Eye of Shiva - II being a particularly compelling example. In Hinduism, the lotus flower is connected not only to Vishnu’s eyes but also to Shiva’s third eye, which sits on the god’s forehead. The eye is a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and protection against evil. Yet, when it opens, it is believed to bring about the total annihilation of the material world. The left side of Parekh’s painting features a lotus flower, seen from above, opening up at the centre of what may be read as a massive explosion. The centre and right side of the painting also feature open eyes, with the central eye superimposed upon what appears to be a Vajra—a ritual weapon in the likeness of a dagger with a three-pronged thunderbolt on either end. Third Eye of Shiva - II is a cataclysmic work that speaks to the sheer destructive force associated with the god.

The larger painting, Prayer with Ashes (2024), sits in contrast. This artwork prominently features a lingam—a short, cylindrical stone pillar—a phallic symbol of the masculine energy within the cosmos, associated with Shiva. The lingam in Prayer with Ashes rests on a yoni—a circular platform meant to represent cosmic feminine energy, which is personified as Shakti, Shiva’s goddess-consort. The objects are draped in yellow oleander flowers in a style that is almost but not quite impressionist. These flowers are often presented to Shiva in ritual offerings, as he is believed to be fond of them. The union of lingam and yoni or Shiva and Shakti symbolise the eternal process of creation. Here, Shiva is a creator instead of a destroyer.

Both Third Eye of Shiva - II and Prayer with Ashes are heavily layered works, as are the other paintings in the art exhibition. The artworks on view at Nature Morte are created with thick applications of paint intermingling with watery strokes, that the artist many times has allowed to spread across the canvas unaided by his hand, as seen in the Third Eye of Shiva - II. The works at Flower Sutra possess a strong sense of movement, most often from a circular point of origin or travelling in a circular path. In the Third Eye of Shiva - II, a prominent circle radiates outwards explosively. In works like Shakti Pith (2020) and Kali Sutra (2020), Parekh paints spirals, which are associated with the continuous movement of life towards a point of enlightenment or release, in Hinduism, Buddhism and some pre-Christian religions.

Parekh, who was honoured with the prestigious Lalit Kala Akademi Award for Indian art in 1982 and India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 1991, shows no sign of slowing down, and continues to paint with a frenetic vigour that is as captivating as his subject matter. His artworks on view at Nature Morte demand close viewing and speak volumes of the energetic spontaneity that typifies his work, perhaps more so now than ever before.

‘Flower Sutra’ is on view from February 27 – March 30, 2025, at Nature Morte, Dhan Mill in New Delhi.