Poster of the event.
Mumbai: The legendary Maqbool Fida Husain’s iconic horses have been a very interesting part of his works spanning several decades. The late painter’s works involving horses reflect freedom, power, strength, and vitality, drawing from Indian mythology and culture.
The Odisha-born Mumbai-based artist Priyaranjaan too has a knack for painting horses.
The equine metaphor in ‘Happening in Silence’ will be on display at Nippon Gallery in Fort area of Mumbai from 4-9 November, 2025.
Priyaranjaan, who has been working as a design educator and visual artist since 2003, is showcasing 30 artworks, few of the mare paintings made with acrylic on canvas and few more are Ink drawing on paper over a period of two years.
"Art is a language which speaks without the words and it connects to the heart,” he said in the run up to the exhibition.
The artist says his works are more focused on a relationship, where many things vibrate within silence without any sound.
“It has so much depth without language and noise. These conceptual artworks masterfully employ their own creative ideas and the horse as a central, polyvalent metaphor to explore the nuanced dynamics of a profound romantic relationship. As we know about the Horses symbolises power,
energy, prosperity and so on in Indian mythology. The Sun god has seven white horses pulling the chariot which describes the movement, growth, and the rise. Therefore, all the artworks have been conceptualized with deep meaning to convey a language without any words,” said Priyaranjaan.
All his paintings reflect personal experiences, which are chosen from surroundings and observe what is happening around him and that experience is reflected as a language in his paintings.
Different types of elements have been used to demonstrate the depth of artworks, like the Champa flower serves as the primary metaphor for the beloved. Its creamy, sun-kissed petals symbolize a gentle yet resilient beauty, while its potent, far-reaching fragrance represents a pervasive and intoxicating presence that transcends physical distance.
“The horse, as the lover, is drawn by this scent—a silent, magnetic pull that guides its journey. Whereas one of his paintings titled “Pancha Tatva”- the five elements, speaks about its importance in daily life which was inspired from the mythology,” he added.