Shivani Garg’s art thrives on tension — between building and erasing, instinct and design, fragility and strength. Trained in traditional painting but restless within its boundaries, she turned to abstraction to better capture the chaos and poetry of the modern world. In her works, soft pastel hues collide with raw marks and textured materials, reflecting the constant flux of urban life and inner landscapes. In this conversation, Shivani shares insights into her evolving practice, her relationship with materials, and the paths she is eager to explore next.
Q: Your work often explores the tension between construction and destruction. How do you translate this duality into your abstract compositions?
A: Every mark I make is an act of building. Every erasure is an act of breaking. I allow both processes to sit together on the surface without forcing harmony. It mirrors how cities, memories and emotions evolve.
Q: You’ve mentioned that abstraction allows you to move without limits. What draws you to this approach, and how does it shape your creative process?
A: Abstraction gives me freedom from representation. It lets my instinct guide the work rather than logic. It is more honest and more difficult. Each painting becomes a search without a fixed destination.
Q: Pastel tones feature prominently in your recent works. What significance do these colours hold for you?
A: Pastels have a softness that balances the intensity of my process. They hint at fragility but carry a quiet strength. I like that dual reading.
Q: Your ‘Urbanisation’ series captures the evolving cityscape. How do you perceive the relationship between urban development and artistic expression?
A: Urbanisation is both a marvel and a tragedy. My art captures that contradiction. Cities constantly erase their pasts in the name of progress. My compositions do the same, layer by layer.
Q: You incorporate materials like acrylic, paper, and foil into your pieces. How do these choices influence the texture and depth of your work?
A: Materials matter as much as the image. Paper brings fragility. Foil brings disruption. Acrylic brings speed. Each material becomes a voice in the conversation happening on the canvas.
Mixed media on canvas
48 inches
2025
Q: Your compositions often resist rigid structures. How do you balance spontaneity with intentional design in your art?
A: I work in layers. The first few are completely spontaneous. Later, I step back, edit, correct. The tension between impulse and control is what I am chasing.
Q: You’ve cited artists like Paul Klee and Matisse as inspirations. In what ways have their works influenced your artistic journey?
A: Klee taught me that a line can be more powerful than a figure. Matisse taught me that colour can breathe. Both gave me permission to be bold and unafraid of abstraction.
Q: As someone who transitioned from traditional landscapes to geometric abstraction, what prompted this evolution in your style?
A: Real landscapes started feeling too contained for what I wanted to say. Abstraction offered a way to talk about internal and external landscapes at the same time.
Q: Your art reflects a dialogue between instinct and balance. How do you navigate this interplay during the creation process?
A: I treat each painting like a living organism. I respond to it instead of forcing it to behave. Instinct lays down the raw material. Balance refines it.
Q: Looking ahead, are there new themes or mediums you’re eager to explore in your future projects?
A: I’m excited to dive deeper into experimenting with the relationship between lines and layers. I want to explore how these elements can shift and evolve across different mediums, perhaps even in installations. The idea of layering not just materials, but also time and space, is something I’m eager to develop further.
Through her layered abstractions, Shivani Garg reminds us that creation and destruction are never separate — they are parts of the same restless journey. Her work continues to evolve, much like the cities and emotions that inspire it, always searching, always becoming.