Prelude to Shakti · Sayali M. Patil
← SAYALI M. PATIL SHAKTI: PRELUDE
KIAN FOUNDATION × LUCIA POONA WED 15 OCTOBER 2025 · KALYANI NAGAR, PUNE
SHAKTI
Prelude

Not an exhibition but a celebration, marking the beginning of the Shakti journey that culminated at Bikaner House, New Delhi.

The Lucia name frame above lanterns and lotus candles
Lucia (n.) Latin, “light”.

Before the curtain rose in Delhi, a festive prelude in Pune: a Diwali soirée of light, community and shared purpose.

I · THE EVENING, IN FOUR PARTS
I A festive evening at Lucia Lounge
II Art in the room, hung among the décor
III A private introduction to Shakti
IV Music, conversation and hospitality
II · ART IN THE ROOM

A salon, not a gallery

Paint, bark collage and geometry, placed against Lucia’s velvet, fringe and painted arches.

Flower sellers beneath umbrellas
01 Flower sellers beneath umbrellas
A painted bull and his drummer
02 A painted bull and his drummer
A woman bends toward a plant
03 A woman bends toward a plant
A rickshaw lane, in the round
04 A rickshaw lane, in the round
Twin face in bark collage
05 Twin face in bark collage
Gold and black geometries
06 Gold and black geometries
Three women and a butterfly
07 Three women and a butterfly
Golden heads under a fringed lamp
08 Golden heads under a fringed lamp
The tree of life goes up
09 The tree of life goes up
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The Shakti standee: a lavani dancer in magenta light, photographed by Padma Shri Sudharak Olwe
Photograph courtesy Padma Shri Sudharak Olwe
III · THE SPIRIT OF SHAKTI

Power does not always roar; sometimes it simply refuses to bow.

THE CAUSE

Shakti honours women connected to the defence ecosystem: the wives, daughters and mothers who quietly carry unseen sacrifices. Net proceeds from the Delhi exhibition go directly to these communities.

THE RED BINDI ON THE “I”: STRENGTH, IDENTITY, PRESENCE
IV · NIGHT

Candles, carnations, a saxophone

As the light went, the music came in: friends, patrons and artists drifting from canvas to canvas.

Live saxophone and guitar beneath carnation garlands
Red candles and lanterns on velvet
Silver tinsel and mirror balls over the bar
A reflection in the antique mirror
Lanterns and mirrored lotus candle holders
Guests filling the rooms
Carnation garlands above the red canvas
The participating artists gathered before the Shakti standee
The artists of Shakti: Prelude, together at Lucia.
THE STORY CONTINUES
SHAKTI
The Art of Resilience

Bikaner House, New Delhi

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