Stepping into Delhi’s Art Alive gallery, the world outside—its traffic, its screens, its relentless hum—slips into another plane. Here, on the gallery walls, life unfolds in delicate washes of watercolour. In a time when photographs dominate our memory, and artificial intelligence mimics human creativity with alarming ease, Shibu Natesan reminds us that nothing can replace the pulse of the human hand. “I journey carrying a blank canvas, ready for the world to show itself,” says the artist.
Natesan’s brush has wandered from the kaleidoscopic chaos of Uzbekistan’s bazaars to the verdant serenity of Kerala’s temples, capturing markets shimmering with textiles and spices, and landscapes bathed in light. Mirror Man, Mirror Me, his latest solo exhibition, sprawls over two floors of the gallery, presenting one of his most ambitious watercolour collections yet. Each painting seems alive: a street glints with puddles; a temple corridor is infused with an almost meditative serenity; a solitary figure gazes out, caught between longing and presence. The title of the exhibition is itself a reflection, literal and metaphorical. “Artists have always mirrored life, showing both its beauty and disorder. To me, a painting succeeds when it resonates with people and conveys truth,” the 59-year-old artist says. The exhibition weaves together landscapes, still lifes, and portraits.
Among these, his self-portraits are quietly compelling. Each one captures his left profile, a subtle exploration of mood and presence. “I am essentially a loner. I tend to be solitary, and my self-portraits are my way of revealing my inner world through different emotional states,” says the artist, who divides his time between London, Thiruvananthapuram and Vadodara. Many of the works are plein air—painted outdoors, in direct conversation with the subject. Over decades of travel, he has formed relationships with his subjects that linger far beyond the brush. One subject, whose portrait hangs in the exhibition, travelled from another country to see it in person, drawn to the intimacy and care of Natesan’s vision.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Natesan’s journey as an artist began early, shaped by the politically charged atmosphere of 1980s Kerala and formal training at the College of Fine Arts. Yet, despite decades of experience, his practice remains immediate, alive, and deeply personal. “I paint almost every day,” he says. “When I don’t, I feel a lack of energy and focus. Painting isn’t just my work—it is my life.” And yet, he brushes off the idea of legacy. “I’m not worried about being remembered. What matters is that as long as I am alive, I can paint.”
He dreams of live painting across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, venturing into the wild in his jeep, discovering and translating life in real time. “Live painting keeps me rooted,” he says, smiling. “That is the life that makes me happy. Alone, with the world in front of me and a brush in my hand—I feel truly alive.” The second installment of Mirror Man, Mirror Me is scheduled in January, promising another chapter in a visual diary that refuses to stay still.
When & Where:
Mirror Man, Mirror Me; Till November 20;
Art Alive Gallery, Delhi
