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Indian Glass Art Pioneer Hemi Bawa Showcases “Stories… in Glass” at Travancore Palace, New Delhi
October 6, 2025
Celebrated Indian glass artist and Padma Shri awardee Hemi Bawa presents her landmark solo exhibition, “Stories… in Glass,” at the historic Travancore Palace, K.G. Marg, New Delhi. The show, which runs from October 3 to 13, 2025, is curated by Dr. Kristine Michael and presented by The Glass Makers Club and Bawa Glass Company, under the artistic direction of Ashwini Pai Bahadur. The exhibition highlights Bawa’s pioneering journey in contemporary Indian glass art and features a multi-sited exploration of memory, material, and healing.
Exhibition Overview
The exhibition opened with a special preview at 5:00 PM on October 3, 2025, and continues daily until 5:00 PM on October 13, 2025. Talks, roundtables, and special sessions on glass art are also scheduled for October 7 to enrich public engagement with the medium.
Visitors can expect to witness the depth and innovation characteristic of Bawa’s practice, which spans over three decades. “Stories… in Glass” draws from her formative years at Triveni Kala Sangam, mentorship under Rameshwar Broota, and her bold experimentation with new materials and techniques upon her return from studies in Europe. In the absence of institutional support for glass in India, Bawa famously imported her own furnace, established a studio in Faridabad, and developed glass art’s contemporary language in the Indian context.
Miniature IV
Exhibition Highlights
The exhibition journeys through Bawa’s key geographical inspirations—Delhi, Kasauli, and Goa—each shaping distinct series of works:
Delhi: Home to her Mughal Jaali and Regal Series, Bawa draws inspiration from the city’s historical architecture, incorporating copper with glass and mirror to evoke the grandeur of Mughal design. “These works reimagine history in a contemporary idiom, merging delicacy with structural strength,” the exhibition note explains.
Kasauli: Inspired by the hills and hydrangeas in her cottage retreat, Bawa employs fibreglass exteriors with luminous glass interiors in the “Hydrangea Blue, White, and Purple” series, symbolizing resilience and renewal.
Goa: The vibrant semi-urban environment and flower markets inspire works like “Five Shades of Red,” paying tribute to the lives and spirit of Goan flower sellers through layered compositions of fibreglass and cast glass.
Artistic Approach and Vision
Texture, tactility, and material experimentation define Bawa’s approach. Bridging traditional Indian artisanal practices with innovative use of glass, fibreglass, copper, and ceramics, her works are lauded for their “emotional depth that resonates with all who experience it.” Crucially, Bawa transforms the body into a “site of memory, energy, and transcendence, offering spaces where art becomes an agent of healing”.
Curator and Artistic Director Statements
Reflecting on her practice, Bawa says, “Glass has been my companion for decades—unpredictable yet loyal, fragile yet enduring. In its transparency, I find truth. In its strength, I find my own.”
Curator Dr. Kristine Michael remarks, “Glass is a medium that holds memory, reflects, refracts, and reveals. In Hemi’s hands, it becomes a living archive of her life’s chapters.”
Artistic Director Ashwini Pai Bahadur underscores the show’s larger significance: “This exhibition is not just a celebration of Hemi’s legacy but also a testament to the vision of The Glass Makers Club, to nurture pioneering voices, open dialogues, and build a platform for glass as a serious and enduring medium in India”.
About Hemi Bawa and Exhibition Team
Hemi Bawa remains a leading figure in Indian contemporary art, known for her groundbreaking use of glass, fibreglass, copper, ceramics, and mixed media. Since her formal training at Triveni in 1969 and her first exhibition at Shridharani Gallery in 1980, Bawa has contributed milestone works locally and internationally, shaping the evolution of Indian glass art.
The Glass Makers Club, led by Ashwini Pai Bahadur, promotes contemporary studio glass in South Asia, fostering international exchange, research, and curatorial projects. Curator Dr. Kristine Michael is a noted ceramic artist and educator, whose projects highlight the intersection of traditional crafts with contemporary practice in glass and ceramics.
All Images courtesy of the artist and The Glass Makers Club
