Mena Malgavkar | Artist Profile Photo
Mena Malgavkar
Mumbai, India
Artist Mena Malgavkar paints dreamlike landscapes inspired by her travels and memories of her childhood home. Art is about feeling—a place, a moment, says Mena. It's the summer air, a quiet evening, the long-standing trees, or the nip of approaching winter. Growing up in a forest in India, she gravitates toward painting abundant scenes from nature. She translates the photo references she takes when traveling with abstracted elements and balances them with a clear focal point. As a first-class honor graduate from Bangalore University, she initially pursued a career in art direction. After fourteen years in advertising, she returned to her first love, painting. Mena moved to the urban sprawl of Mumbai, where she fell in love with the frenetic pace of the bustling city. Today, her studio overlooks a giant tree that reminds her of her forest home. When she's not painting, she teaches design at a French-Indian college, works as a brand consultant for several startups, and immerses herself in museum and gallery trips.
Studio Photo 1 Studio Photo 2 Studio Photo 3

Artist Statement

My work is about bringing a third dimension to a two-dimensional canvas - the dimension of emotion. Art is about feeling - a place, a moment, the summer air, the quiet evening, the solidity of a farmhouse, the long-standing trees, the coolness of water, the nip of approaching winter. I strive to bring these to my canvas - not always in a realistic fashion. Capturing emotion is just as elusive as the emotion itself. I’ve grown up in a forest in India and am thankful the forest is still around. Although I’ve now moved to the very urban sprawl of Mumbai, I still visit home every couple of months to breathe in the clean air, go on long evening walks, and relive the simplicity of childhood. I love Mumbai for its frenetic pace - the city that never sleeps is a constant push to do better - work better, paint better. Mumbai is the buzz of galleries, markets, and the hurly-burly of everyday life. When I’m painting, I love to be in the midst of it all. And when I need to come up for air, I turn to my old and trusted forest home. I work with gauze, inks, and acrylic, and am now looking toward oils.

Artist Background

Karnataka Chitrakala parishat , Bangalore University
Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1992
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