Unapologetic & Autobiographical, Aksh Diwan Garg's Art Is A Celebration Of Human Beauty

Bold, warm colours and impasto brush strokes play instrumental parts in Delhi-based painter, filmmaker, and photographer Aksh Diwan Garg's artistic practice. They pull you into the Belle Époque-esque world of semi-autobiographical self-portraits, in gender-queer personas, depicted in scenes drawn from his memories and imaginations. Garg represents a new generation of Indian artists exploring the fluid, bold, and unconfined essence of womanhood in their practice.

Garg’s paintings embody raw emotions drawn from his personal fantasies and firsthand observations of the culture he is surrounded by — scenes that emerge from his own lived experiences, yet speak to broader cultural and emotional truths of contemporary life. Most of his paintings are autobiographical in nature, and often feature female characters in a range of moods and expressions from being quirky to vulnerable in love. The feminine sensibility allows him to break free from the traditional masculine roles often prescribed by society. He identifies with the experiences of women in a way that feels both natural and deeply emotional. Feminine style and fashion, which have always intrigued and inspired him, often influence his compositions.

Garg's protagonists live for unusual causes yet remain relevant as a commentary on society. They cannot be confined to any specific era; instead, they possess a timeless quality that resonates with the hearts and minds of all generations. Ideas of womanhood, sensuality, and satire are prominently explored and left open to interpretation by viewers in his works. The characters and the domains they inhabit are born of Garg's observations of his milieux, and live through the lens of his own beliefs, personality, fantasies, and experiences. They do not merely exist on the canvas — they emote, challenge, confront, and come to life in their resilience, tenderness, and defiance.

A recurring motif in Garg’s practice is the domestic space, reimagined as both sanctuary and site of conflict. Beds, mirrors, and windows frequently appear, hinting at internal dialogues and personal transformation. For Garg, 'home' is a psychological terrain, especially for queer individuals who must often navigate between belonging and invisibility. His ongoing exploration of this theme is central to the current group exhibition 'To Make a Home with You' at Art + Charlie, Mumbai, where his body of work anchors the exhibition's meditations on queer intimacy as both precarious and cathartic.

In a world that often demands quiet conformity, Garg's practice remains unapologetically autobiographical, yet still resists the trap of solipsism — opening, instead, a visual dialogue with the viewer, inviting recognition, empathy, and sometimes discomfort.

Aksh Diwan Garg's works are currently on view as part of 'To Make a Home with You' at Art + Charlie in Mumbai till May 31, 2025. The group exhibition, conceptualised and curated by Mihir Thakkar explores the essence of queer belonging and the idea of home.

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