Seema Kohli’s Exhibition at Museum of Sacred Arts in Belgium

The captivating world of Indian artist Seema Kohli is filled with winged women, trees, lotuses, swans, celestial beings and starry skies. Inspired by life in its purest form, she is known for dreamlike paintings that render feminine energy in its varied forms. Her art references world mythology, and she is particularly fascinated by the philosophy of the Hiranyagarbha, or the golden womb, from Yajur Veda — the ancient notion of a cosmic egg that contains the universe and everything within it, representing a oneness of souls.

As an international caliber artist, Seema Kohli has exhibited in New York, Brussels, London, Dubai and Singapore since 2000, as well as across India in prestigious venues such as National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. One highlight from her international career was her major exhibition in Belgium in 2019.

 In this blog, we share images from Seema’s exhibition at The Museum of Sacred Art in Belgium and explore the common themes in her artwork.

In 2019, Seema was invited for a solo exhibition at The Museum of Sacred Art (MOSA), which aims to support and promote spiritual Indian art in Belgium as well as in Europe and beyond. This visual arts foundation is based in Brussels, and it operates as a dedicated museum located in a small town about an hour into the Belgian countryside. The town is home to Radhadesh, an ISKCON temple inside of a historic European castle.

One of the paintings exhibited at the Museum of Sacred Art, this above canvas depicts the opening up of chakras and the rising of energy through controlled chitta, or mind. Through discipline, the mind is freed from selfish cravings.

In her ongoing series of sculptures, Seema explores the form of Kamadhenu, the divine cow of abundance and fertility. She is depicted with the hump of a bull and the udders of a cow, combining yin and yang, positive and negative, man and woman. Each inch of Seema’s sculpture is hand-painted with scenes from mythology as well as natural motifs like stars, waves and fish.

In this painting, Seema explores a world where no separation exists between time, name and space. The artist herself explains, “I am in everything and everything is me. This is the celebration of Self in selflessness.”

Seema’s exhibition highlighted her creative achievements across more than 200 paintings, murals, films, installations and sculptures. While in Belgium for the opening reception, she gave a guided tour, explaining the concepts and symbols behind her work.

The Tree of Life is a recurring motif in Seema’s work. To her, it is one of the most important elements of nature and represents the connection between the world beneath us, the world we are living in and the heavens. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna also explains to Arjun that life is like a Banyan tree, describing its ever-expanding roots as the karmic cycles of birth and rebirth.

In this series of 64 etchings, Seema depicts Yoginis, who are forms of manifested energy.

This exhibition marked an exciting continuation of Seema Kohli’s international career, sharing her paintings with a wider audience. As a champion of South Asian art in the United States, we are delighted to see Indian art celebrated in Europe, too.

For more information on contemporary Indian artist Seema Kohli, please visit https://laasyaart.com/seema-kohli/ to browse our online collection of Indian paintings and read her biography. If you would like to make an appointment to buy art by Seema Kohli or visit our Indian art gallery in Palo Alto, please reach out at info@laasyaart.com or +1 650-770-9088.
— Sonia Patwardhan