Madhvi Parekh: Remembered Tales

DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)

New Delhi 11 July - 23 Aug

Mumbai 13 Sept - 5 Nov

Image credits: DAG

Delhi Art Gallery ( DAG ) celebrated the works of Madhvi Parekh in 2025 through their exhibition ‘Madhvi Parekh: Remembered Tales’. We frequently categorise artists based on their style, form, period, or movement. But what about artists who do not fit into any of these categories? Madhvi Parekh is one such artist who has gained worldwide recognition for her distinct take on 'folk modernism.'

The exhibition explored Parekh's works of her six-decade-long artistic journey through paintings and sketchbook practice. Gods and goddesses, mythological figures and folk traditions are the most frequent themes in her practice. However, another central theme of her works is the stories and tales she grew up hearing. Her subjects depict anthropomorphic features in the creatures which are integral to her fantastical paintings. Raised in the Sanjaya village of Gujarat, Parekh interacted with her surroundings as a young girl through festivals and other ceremonial activities of the village. Drawing inspiration from her early life and the world around her, Parekh developed a unique visual language which is not quite modern and not quite folk, but rather a blend of both.

The exhibition introduced viewers to the eclecticism observed in Parekh's work. Following the Covid epidemic, Parekh resumed her practice of painting on large canvases, revisiting the style and technique that she enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition juxtaposed Parekh's early practice with her most recent pieces. She believes that "every object in our life shares a relationship with us" and that everything is interconnected. As a result, gods, humans, animals, and birds are all represented in her paintings, which has been a recurring theme throughout her artistic career.

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Madhvi Parekh did not receive formal training in art. This allowed her to develop the kind of visual language which is more rooted in instinct.

Her artistic and creative journey gained prominence on a global scale when her work was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Following that, in 2024, her work was included in the collateral presentation at Venice Biennale.

Even while her works were travelling globally, the subjects of her art remained grounded in her village and fabular imagination.

The artist began her journey after she was introduced to Paul Klee's Pedagogical Sketchbook by her partner, Manu Parekh.

Through her practice, she refused to surrender to a specific style or form. This fresh step, taken by Madhvi Parekh, is explored in the exhibition by DAG.

The exhibition, as the name suggests, takes us into the world of remembered tales of Parekh’s career and life.

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