Silent Whispers – Recent works by Surashree Rabadia

“Silent Whispers”, an exhibition of recent works by the artist Surashree Rabadia, curated by Piyush Thakkar.

“Solitude is not emptiness, but a space of becoming”

Silent Whispers brings together a series of paintings that listen closely to what often goes
unspoken- the many emotional landscapes of womanhood that surface not in declaration, but in gesture, glance, and stillness. Surashree Rabadia turns towards solitude not as an absence, but as the quiet space in which these unspoken states are finally allowed to be seen.

Across this series, a solitary female figure recurs — never the likeness of a particular woman, nor a character bound to a narrative. Instead, she becomes a vessel for what remains unsaid, carrying within her the subtle whispers of longing, serenity, courage, vulnerability, memory, and hope. Together, these figures form a constellation of inner landscapes rather than a sequence of stories.

Rabadia draws on Indian visual traditions, mythology, and symbolism, building a world where birds, animals, flowers, and water are more than symbolic accessories — they are quiet companions, extensions of the figures’ inner lives rather than ornament. A white owl, a fish, a lotus, a sparrow, a peacock: each carries its own hushed language of memory, intuition, transformation or strength. Colours too speak in murmurs rather than  statements, shaping the psychological atmosphere of each work.

Formally, the paintings hold pattern in balance with expansive fields of colour — detail that
speaks softly against stillness that listens. This interplay mirrors the emotional rhythm of the work itself, asking the viewer to slow down and attend to what is never quite spoken aloud.

The women in these paintings neither perform nor explain themselves. They inhabit their own spaces with quiet dignity, their solitude suggesting not isolation but completeness. They remind us that the deepest conversations often happen in silence, and that identity is as much an inward listening as an outward presence.

In Silent Whispers, Rabadia offers no definitive answers — only a space where symbolism and emotion meet in quiet exchange, inviting viewers to lean in and listen for the whispers within these figures, and perhaps within themselves.

Some things are never announced. They arrive as a whisper and stay only as long as you’re
willing to listen.

— Anushree Rabadia in conversation with Surashree Rabadia

About the artist

Surashree Rabadia (b. 1965, Assam) is a Vadodara-based visual artist whose
practice centres on the figure of the woman and her surrounding environment. Her
works explore the many facets of womanhood—strength, self-reliance, confidence,
tenderness and resilience—through simplified, expressive forms, fuller figures and
distinctive facial expressions. Her keen interest in pattern and detail creates a
dialogue between expansive, flat surfaces and carefully articulated visual elements.

Rooted in the visual language of Indian art, Rabadia’s practice draws upon
symbolism, cultural memory, mythology and the relationship between the human,
natural and divine. Her imagery emerges from an interplay between lived
experiences, imagination and inherited cultural sensibilities, bringing together
traditional references with a contemporary visual expression.

For Rabadia, the woman is both subject and a deeply personal point of departure.
Her experiences as a woman, observations of the world around her and memories
from the past inform a visual vocabulary that seeks to celebrate womanhood while
reflecting upon the larger human condition. Through her paintings, she continues to
develop a language that is direct yet layered, grounded in cultural tradition while
responsive to the changing realities of contemporary life.

Rabadia received her Diploma in Painting from Sheth C.N. College of Fine Arts,
Ahmedabad, in 1989, followed by a Post Diploma in Painting (Fresco) from the
Faculty of Fine Arts, Vadodara, in 1992. She was awarded the Junior Fellowship by
the Department of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government
of India, in 1995.

Her work has been exhibited extensively across India, including at Jehangir Art
Gallery, Mumbai; Sarjan Art Gallery, Vadodara; Priyashri Art Gallery, Vadodara and
Mumbai; Domus Art Gallery, Delhi; and Synapse International Art Gallery, among
others. Her practice has also been presented through various workshops, artist
camps and collaborative projects, including the Jaipur Fresco Project at Nimrana,
Rajasthan, and mosaic mural projects for the Municipal Corporation of Ahmedabad.

Curator’s note

“Silent Whispers” brings together recent works by Surashree Rabadia,
marking her first solo exhibition after nearly four decades of practice. Her
work has been widely exhibited in group exhibitions across the country
and is held in major private collections.

The works unfold as quiet monologues. A recurring female figure appears
in varied costumes, postures and gestures, accompanied by birds and
animals. Inward gazes and restrained gestures slow the pictorial rhythm,
creating a space between the intimate and the imagined.

Rabadia’s women move through multiple roles and private states of being.
Earthy colours, birds, animals and floral motifs become carriers of desire,
memory and emotion. Against the speed and spectacle of contemporary
life, the paintings turn towards the quiet, often overlooked dimensions of
being a woman—and of being human.

“Silent Whispers” dwells in what remains unspoken. The works bring
together solitude, fantasy and remembrance, allowing the past to surface
while leaving space for what is yet to unfold. Here, silence becomes both
subject and presence.

— Piyush Thakkar
Poet, Visual Artist, and Academic