Gardens where memories sing

An artist shaped by two cultures, Maya Burman builds intimate, rhythmicworlds that fuse architecture and nature, writes Shilpi Madan about her latest solo exhibition.

Artist Maya Burman brings her architectural training to the layered patterns, curious rhythms, and soothing watercolours of her work. In her latest solo exhibition, Gardens of Song, at Art Musings in Mumbai, she telescopes the past seven years of her evolving relationship with art.

The daughter of renowned French artist Maïté Delteil and legendary Indian artist Sakti Burman, Maya inhabits an ecosystem shaped by painting and poetry, moving fluidly between cultures. Trained as an architect at the École Nationale d’Architecture Paris-Villemin, she developed a deeper connection with Indian sensibilities during a formative year at the Centre for Built Environment in Kolkata, where she worked on a survey of North Kolkata’s historic residential quarters linked to the Bengal Renaissance.

“Being from two different cultures made me inherently curious. I had the possibility of exploring two universes and creating my own blend,” says Maya. “My artistic background has helped me develop an eye for both Indian and European artistic identities. I’ve been fortunate to have had a smooth journey into art.”

Her use of black ink traces back to her architectural training. “At the time, we used to draw with a rotary pen. I still do. Even the composition of my work is constructed stone by stone. It’s almost like building a house, achieving a delicate balance between empty and full spaces.” What intrigues her is everyday life —simple feelings, small joys: dancing, playing, gardening, sleeping.

A lilting harmony runs through the works, justifying the title Gardens of Song. Floral patterns on dresses, rhythmic limbs, lush fruits, fluttering flowers, little boats, playful motifs, and split ruby-like pomegranates recur. Watery blues, canary yellows, rose reds, and terracotta hues create a vibrant visual playground.

“My favourites are the portraits of my vegetables. I call them my babies,” she says. “In these, I’ve avoided ink and used only colour pencils for a sharp, vibrant effect. Fruits and vegetables have now become part of my personal universe. Since I have a garden, I draw what I grow. I’ve always loved still life, but never felt the need to paint it — until recently. Painting is an expression of my inner being.”

Her paintings move playfully through moments of leisure, engaging in a fluid dialogue with nature — flora, fauna, animal and human forms. Her love for nature, nurtured in her hometown of Anthe in southern France, carries into her work, where birds, fruits, and flowers shift seamlessly between observation and imagination. The layers within each piece converse with one another.

“It is true that black allows colour to shine through contrast. In darkness, if you light a small lamp, everything appears magical because of the shadows. For me, black works the same way,” she says. In Cabinet of Curiosities, geometric complexity and colour coexist in a richly layered yet controlled composition. “There are two universes in that work — outside and beneath the globe. Different scales cohabitate. It allows me to give a defined space to still life under glass.”

What comes next? Another painting. “Beauty and joy are two spheres I will never tire of exploring,” she says.