{"id":65035,"date":"2026-03-12T18:34:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/nandita-desai-unveils-a-unique-painting-exhibition-on-vintage-and-handcrafted-windows\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T18:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:04:21","slug":"nandita-desai-unveils-a-unique-painting-exhibition-on-vintage-and-handcrafted-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/nandita-desai-unveils-a-unique-painting-exhibition-on-vintage-and-handcrafted-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"Nandita Desai Unveils a Unique Painting Exhibition on Vintage and Handcrafted Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Delhi [India], March 12:<\/strong> <\/span>There is something quietly powerful about a window\u2026 It neither confines nor escapes. It simply allows us to look, to pause, to breathe between inner and outer worlds. In The Painted Window<\/em>, multi-award-winning contemporary artist Nandita Desai turns this everyday architectural element into the soul of her fifth solo exhibition, transforming vintage and handcrafted windows into luminous works of art. Running from 16th to\u00a021st March 2026\u00a0at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Nariman Point, Mumbai, the exhibition brings together 50 artworks – windows that look outward at the world, and inward at memory and quiet reflection.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The idea of the exhibition began with a chance discovery. While driving along the Lonavala-Khandala road, Desai caught a sudden glint of colour from the corner of her eye – vivid etched glass, glowing in the sunlight. She stopped to discover a trove of discarded windows, remnants of a once-lived-in home. \u201cIt was much like Wordsworth\u2019s inward eye,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI bought the entire lot. That moment began my search for old windows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of these windows, sourced from abandoned or demolished homes around Lonavala, particularly in the wake of COVID, form the backbone of the exhibition. Others are handcrafted by Desai herself, using repurposed and sustainable wood.<\/p>\n

Literary influences quietly run through the show. Desai\u2019s love for the vintage world brings to mind\u00a0A Room with a View<\/em>\u00a0by E. M. Forster, while the exhibition\u2019s title draws from\u00a0The Painted Veil<\/em>\u00a0by Somerset Maugham.<\/p>\n

Having moved homes often as a child, Desai\u2019s memories are anchored not to rooms, but to the space beside the window\u2026 reading, watching the world go by, even struggling to finish a glass of milk! \u201cWindows to me are a space to reflect on your inner and outer worlds,\u201d she says. \u201cThey are metaphors of life\u2026 of keeping both worlds balanced, of appreciating the wonderful world we live in without getting trapped in our own little cages.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition brings together a rich range of materials and processes: glass painted with specialised glass colours; wood treated with natural oxide polishes, stains, varnishes, wax crayons and shellac; and a tactile series on jute and hemp, created using oils, acrylics and pastels – all reflecting Desai\u2019s enduring love for natural materials.<\/p>\n

\u201cPainting on old wood and glass is very different from painting on canvas,\u201d shares Desai. \u201cEach window requires extensive preparation from cleaning and pest control to removing excess material while carefully retaining its original structure, colour, and character.\u201d A year in the making, \u201cthe process is slow and demanding,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Having lived in several cities through her life, Desai\u2019s work reflects an ever-evolving dialogue between place and self. Inspired early on by veteran artist Prafulla Dahanukar, who lived in her neighbourhood, Desai went on to receive the Prafulla Dahanukar Foundation Award for Best Emerging Artist in 2013. Though largely self-taught, she has trained at UAL, London, studied art under Mr. Vinchurkar, and is mentored by artist-curator Satyendra Rane. With a PhD in History, Desai brings an academic depth to her art.<\/p>\n

Artist Nandita Desai\u2019s\u00a0The Painted Window<\/em>\u00a0brings together discarded objects that find a new voice through art. \u201cWhen people stand in front of these works,\u201d concludes Desai, \u201cI want them to see art\u2026 not touched-up windows, but works that live and breathe anew. They are vintage pieces turned into novel art.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Painted Window will be on display at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery – Bajaj Bhavan, Nariman Point, from 16th<\/sup>\u00a0March to 21st<\/sup>\u00a0March 2026, daily 11 am to 7 pm.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you object to the content of this press release, please notify us at pr.error.rectification@gmail.com. We will respond and rectify the situation within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi [India], March 12: There is something quietly powerful about a window\u2026 It neither confines nor escapes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65034,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[2119],"class_list":["post-65035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-press-release","tag-nandita-desai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prevalentindia.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}