Delhi is at its most romantic in winter. Unannounced rain comes dripping the city wet, leaving it with glistening roads and a grey sky. Yet for all its charm, Delhi is a landlocked city, far from the vast ocean. Yamuna flowing through its heart, feels like a distant memory - a river struggling to survive against the chaos of urban life. Amidst this longing, Jayasri Burman’s ‘The Whisper of Water, The Song of Stars’ art exhibition comes as a wave from the ocean hitting the hearts of Delhi’s people and taking them straight into the world of oceanic mysticism. Burman’s major solo exhibition is on display at the Art Alive Gallery from January 17 to 25, in the green suburbs of south Delhi near Panchsheel Marg.
For Burman, the sea isn't just a theme, it is her soul. Born and raised in Kolkata, her earliest memories are playing near the beach and collecting cowries and shells with her brothers.
“I remember washing those shells, smelling the salt, and feeling like I was entering an underwater fantasy,” she recalls.
In this exhibition, Burman invites us to her underwater fantasy. Her fascination with cowries is rooted in the mythological stories of Samudra Manthan, the churning of the ocean, where goddess Lakshmi emerged with treasures of the sea, including cowries. Cowries represent life, growth, and prosperity. It symbolises seeds and fertility, the cycles of creation, which are the inspiration behind her art. With different shades of blue and yellow and cowries and shells stuck to it, we are transported into the ocean's depth. “The cowrie has always fascinated me. It represents growth, prosperity, and fertility. Its shape mirrors the feminine—front like a vagina, back like a pregnant form. This is the essence of nature,” she explains, her voice brimming with awe at the beauty of creation.
The heart of Burman’s work is a celebration of feminine energy and divinity. Uma Nayak who was visiting the gallery shares that she has been following Burman since 1998. “She celebrates the feminine energy like no one. There is no earth without this energy. Continuity of universe is because of women and Jayasri's painting portrays that”, she adds while talking about the work and Burman’s art.
Jayasri Burman
The women in Burman’s work are one striking feature as no fails but notice the similarity in all the paintings. They are God-like with large beautiful eyes and long curly hair. When asked who they resemble, she very warmly replies, “My mother and my cousin. And more importantly goddess Durga. She has such long curly hair”.
Burman's definition of femininity transcends beyond gender. “Femininity is not just about women; it’s about the universe. It’s the nurturing, the cycles of life, the rebirth.”
Art has an impact in shaping the society narrative around femininity and female energy, believes Burman. In the world of technology, this generation is losing touch with nature. The world went through went cycle of creation and recreation, but we have failed to acknowledge it.
“We’ve stopped noticing the little flowers in our courtyard, the sky above us. Art has the power to bring us back to these moments, to reconnect us with the world around us,” she says.
Burman uses different motifs in her painting from cowries to shells and beads, showing us the beautiful harmony of elements that exist in nature, a harmony that is now overlooked in the race of modernity. They have been part of painting for a long time. However, this time they received so much admiration, drawing attention to their symbolic depth and connection to life. 'I think it’s part of my journey as an artist,' she reflects.
In the era, when the digital world overshadowed traditional art, Burman is still relevant. Despite her critique of modern life, she is filled with hope for the future. She marvels at the creativity and potential of younger generations. “The world isn’t as confined as it was in my time. I’ve run my marathon; the next generation will run its own, and they’ll create something extraordinary,” she says with optimism.
Burman’s ‘The Whisper of Water, The Song of Stars’ is beyond a simple exhibition; it's a heartfelt tribute to life and her childhood itself. Her creations bloom with the vitality of development anchored in the universal harmony of water and stars. To Delhi residents, her artwork provides a haven—a space where the ocean murmurs, shells create music, and the cosmos unveils its boundless splendour. In a metropolis craving water, Burman's paintings serve as a reminder that seas are not just water bodies but areas of creativity, restoration, and awe. Through her artistic expression, the ocean springs to life, and for a brief moment, it carries us all away.
