Artist Lal Bahadur Singh paints the paradoxes of the present

Experience Lal Bahadur Singh's thought-provoking exhibition at Gallerie Nvya, Delhi, reflecting on urban growth and environmental impact.

In a bustling metropolis like Delhi, where the rhythm of life is defined by hurried footsteps and the relentless drive for progress, moments to pause and reflect are rare. Amid the urban frenzy, Silent Echoes of a Flight Beyond and Whispers Beneath, an exhibition by Lal Bahadur Singh at Gallerie Nvya offers a space for reflection. The artist’s works stand as a quiet critique of the city’s unchecked growth and its impact on the environment.

Devoid of human figures, Singh’s exhibition pulsates with the vibrant presence of birds, including parrots, seagulls and woodpeckers. At the heart is a meticulously rendered sparrow in brilliant hues as a symbol of nature’s simplicity that is now vanishing from urban spaces. Singh uses this once ubiquitous bird as a poignant reminder of the fragility of our environment, highlighting the cost of prioritising industrialisation over living in harmony with nature.

His art is not against progress but warns against its excesses. His works depict towering modern housing structures that loom over fragile landscapes, an image of humanity’s relentless ambition overpowering the Nature beneath. The visuals are stark; the artist presents entire canvases consumed by burnished bricks. Discarded medicine bottles, crumbling trees, and polluted terrains represent the widening gap between human activity and the planet’s well-being, which is an unsettling and yet undeniable reality.

One of the most striking pieces at the exhibition captures a group of people walking obliviously over a barren, devastated landscape, symbolising the disconnection between human actions and the consequences that follow. Through the powerful metaphors, Singh compels viewers to question the true cost of development and ponder whether we are careening toward an environmental collapse.

The exhibition with 23 paintings and one installation on display serves as a quiet but urgent call to acknowledge the delicate balance between the race for growth and the burden on Nature.

Shreya Pathak

The exhibition is on at Gallerie Nvya, 101-103 Square One Designer Arcade, C-2 District Centre, Saket till May 17; from 11am to 7pm