Healing through art: Indian doctors and artists bring the journey of survivors and caregivers on canvas  

Experience 45 diverse stories of health survivors and caregivers through art at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery, January 7-13, 2025.

Doctors and artists from across India have come together to narrate 45 diverse stories of survivors of acute ailments and their caregivers on canvas at Mumbai’s Jehangir Art Gallery from January 7 to 13, 2025, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The canvases are narrating stories of 13 cancer survivors, eight organ transplants, paediatric health, generic health, mental health, women’s health, brain haemorrhage, infertility, acute leukaemia, and many other ailments.  

Titled, ‘Art for Health’ the exhibition is part of Rang De Neela, an initiative at the intersection of art and health, started by story and art curator Ami Shah and Dr. Rajiv Kovil on April 7, 2022.  

Ms. Shah said that the initiative was inspired by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) scoping report that recognised the instrumental role art can play in healing patients and their caregivers. The initiative aims to harness the power of art in improving health literacy, promoting positive health behaviour, and helping individuals and communities manage chronic, acute, and mental health conditions.  

In this show, a variety of real-world narratives related to health issues, including experiences from cancer survivors, individuals who have undergone organ transplants, paediatric health concerns, general health topics, mental health matters, and women’s health are exhibited. Doctors, patients, their caregivers and 36 artists from across India have worked on the project from December 2023.  

“As many as 45 art works are on display and each inspired by a true story. These pieces reflect the journeys of individuals, narrated alongside their doctors and caregivers, who share their experiences of hope, courage, and resilience. The exhibition aims to inspire viewers not only to survive but to thrive, even when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. This unique collection is produced by skilled artists drawn from across India and slated to grace art galleries all over the country, starting with Mumbai,” Dr. Rajiv Kovil, Head of Diabetology, Zandra Healthcare and co-founder of Rang De Neela, said.  

Ami Shah, who brought everyone on board for the project said, “We first created a spreadsheet where we put 100 health conditions. We made columns with names of the doctors who had treated them. After the doctors shared their best-case studies, we invited the patients and their caregivers in the presence of their doctors over a Zoom [video conferencing platform] call that was recorded with their consent. In those meetings, the patients narrated their stories of physical and emotional pain, recovery, society response and financial burden. The recording was given to contemporary artists from across India who then created the narrative stories on canvases.”  

One canvas has taken at least five months’ time. Ms. Shah said that their goal is to stop at 100 canvases to match the 100 identified illnesses.