Medicine and art may appear to inhabit very different worlds, but an ongoing wildlife art exhibition in Mumbai at the Bombay Art Society in the city at Bandra Reclamation, brings the two together through the work of three Mumbai artists including two doctors – Dr. Sonal Shah and Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker and their long-time art teacher, Kishori Kadam.
The wildlife art exhibition, that started on September 26, will be on till September 29, is presented in association with the second edition of the Accord Equips Wildlife Photography Contest and Exhibition, which will showcase 50 shortlisted photographs selected from around 600 entries.
The photography exhibition features a jury comprising acclaimed wildlife filmmaker and photographer Kenneth Lawrence, wildlife photographer and conservationist Apurv Isaac (Lala), and photographer Dabboo Ratnani. Together, the two exhibitions bring photography and painting into the same space, offering visitors different artistic interpretations of wildlife and the natural world.
At the heart of the art exhibition is a story of creativity, friendship and mentorship spanning more than a decade. Dr. Sonal Shah, a consultant anaesthetist associated with Breach Candy Hospital and Saifee Hospital in Mumbai, and Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker, a Mumbai based bariatric, laparoscopic and hernia surgeon, have been learning painting from Kishori Kadam for over ten years.
Dr Shah and Dr Bhasker also share a long professional association. They have worked together in the operating theatre for more than 15 years, as anaesthetist and surgeon respectively. Their professional world demands precision, concentration, teamwork and the ability to remain composed in high-pressure situations. Painting provides a striking counterpoint – a space for colour, experimentation, reflection and creative freedom.
For both doctors, what began as learning an art form gradually became a sustained creative practice alongside demanding careers in medicine. The upcoming exhibition marks a particularly meaningful milestone: the opportunity for the two students to exhibit alongside the teacher who has guided their artistic journeys for more than a decade.
Speaking about the relationship between her profession and her art, Dr. Sonal Shah said, “Anaesthesia requires constant awareness, attention to detail and the ability to remain calm and completely present through every moment of a surgery. Painting engages me in a very different way, yet I find some of those same qualities within it – observation, patience and focus. At the same time, the canvas gives me the freedom to experiment with colour and expression without having to control every outcome. For me, art has become a wonderful creative counterbalance to the precision and responsibility of my professional life.”
For Dr Aparna Govil Bhasker, a Mumbai-based bariatric, laparoscopic and hernia surgeon painting offers a contrast to a professional life centred around planning, precision and outcomes said, “As surgeons, so much of our working life is about precision, anticipation and trying to control outcomes. Painting asks something very different of me – it makes me slow down, observe and allow things to evolve on the canvas. Dr. Sonal Shah and I have shared an operating theatre for more than 15 years, and Kishori has been our teacher for over a decade. To see these two worlds come together in an exhibition feels incredibly special.”
Central to this journey is Kishori Kadam, an artist and art teacher whose influence extends beyond teaching technique. Over the years, she has encouraged her students to observe closely, experiment confidently and gradually develop their own artistic vocabulary. For Kishori, teaching art is not about producing students who paint alike, but about helping each person discover an individual way of seeing and expressing the world.
She shares, “For me, being an artist is about constantly observing, exploring and finding new ways to express what we see and feel. As a teacher, my role is not to make students paint like me, but to help them discover their own visual language. Watching that individuality emerge is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. Dr. Sonal and Dr. Aparna have continued to paint despite extremely demanding professions, and over the years I have watched each of them develop her own relationship with art. To now exhibit together as artists is a very special moment for me.”
The exhibition is therefore more than a display of paintings. It represents over a decade of learning, artistic evolution and mentorship, and the transition from teacher and students sharing a studio to three artists sharing an exhibition space.
The paintings explore wildlife through colour, texture and individual interpretation, from expressive studies of birds to striking representations of animals and their habitats.
Displayed alongside wildlife photography, they also create an interesting dialogue between two visual forms. Photography can preserve a fleeting instant in nature; painting allows that observation to be reinterpreted through the artist’s memory, emotion, colour and individual style.
The exhibition marks the culmination of the contest’s second edition.
Other art exhibitions in Mumbai
“It Will Rain Again When We Meet,” A solo exhibition of Priyanka Aelay
When: Till October 1Where: KYNKYNY, FortTime: Monday – Saturday from 11 am – 6 pm (Closed on Sundays)Entry: Free
Two Mumbai docs showcase unique artworks, and other art exhibitions in Mumbai
