ABOUT THE ARTIST

Hemi Bawa was born in 1948. Her initiation into the formal world of art was through her training at the Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi from 1969 onward. Today she is widely recognised for her commitment to developing the niche field of contemporary glass art in India. A painter, sculptor, and multidisciplinary practitioner, she believes in an organic relationship with every medium she works with, deriving the utmost in terms of its formal and material attributes as well as metaphorical significance. From her first solo exhibition at Sridharini Gallery in 1980, to her current experimental showcase ‘Bodies of Light’ (Arspeaks India, 2020), Hemi Bawa’s journey as an artist has been as much connected to intuitive explorations as the mastering of skills. One of the core values of her artistic repertoire is her ability to experiment continually and respond to her environment through her work.

Hemi Bawa’s artisanal cast-glass sculptures, works employing other glass techniques, largescale installations in stone, fiberglass, and metal, and mixed media experiments all demonstrate a sense of innate strength and visual harmony that extend from her personalised aesthetics. With a career of more than five decades behind her, she has received the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India, for her service to the arts (2009). Her works have been invited and collected by prominent museums such as the Corning Museum of Glass, New York (2005) and the Sculpture Garden at Tuscany, Italy (2001). She was commissioned by Coca Cola to make a sculpture for the Antlanta Olympic Games (1996). Her work can be found in major public and private collections, and the Harry Winston Brand facilitated and published a book on Hemi Bawa in 2010.

Applying herself to constant renewal conceptually and stylistically, Hemi Bawa uses her expressive language to articulate internalized experiences of time and place, people and encounters. Employing a combination of geometric abstraction with organic figuration and spatial arrangements, she fluently presents interactions of colour, texture, light and form that draw emotional responses rather than narrative interpretations. She imbues her work with a sense of

innate strength and visual harmony – and an experiential silence that rises above the chaos of mundane life. With an interest in the overlap of the physical and conceptual realms, Hemi builds bridges between the two, defining her personal aesthetics through an interplay of material, form and meaning. From the simplest of creations to more complex installations, her work embraces universal values that are communicated with sensitivity.

Hemi Bawa

1948 Born, Sculptor & Painter.

Hemi Bawa lives and works in New Delhi.

Honour: Padma Shri (2009)

Education & Training

Began formal art training in 1962.
Studied painting at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, under Rameshwar Broota.
Attended short courses in sculpture and cast glass at St. Martin’s, London, and international workshops in glass-making.

Awards & Honours

2009 Padma Shri, Government of India, by the President of India, Mrs Pratibha Patil

2002 Habitat Arts Commendation, India Habitat Centre, Delhi.

1996 Commission by Coca-Cola for the Olympic Games sculpture (Coke Museum, Atlanta, USA).

1991 Felicitation by the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, for contribution to social service through art.

1968 First National Prize, Chitra Kala Sangam, Delhi.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2025 “Stories…in Glass” The Glass Makers Club, Travancore Palace, KG Marg, Delhi

2019 Installation at Panjim Gymkhana Club

2017 Installation at Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa

2013 Installation at Think Festival, Goa

2012 “Hemi Bawa 2012” Artspeaks India VIP India Art Fair DLF Emporio, Vasant Kunj, Delhi

2010 “Hemi Bawa” Book Release by Harry Winston, authored by Dr Alka Pande

2009 Polka Art Gallery, Delhi; Emporio DLF, Delhi; Gallery Alternatives, Delhi.

2007 Apparao Gallery, Chennai.

2006 “Inspired by Steel”, Alliance Française, Delhi.

2005 The Park Hotel, Delhi;

Genkan Gallery, Tokyo;

Serena Hotel, Kabul (site-specific).

2004 Hyatt, New Delhi (Mixed Media)

2003 Palette Art Gallery, Delhi.

2002 The Park Hotel, Chennai (18-ft sculpture installation).

1999 “Frozen Fire” , London.

1998 Art Today, Delhi.

1996 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai;

Sridharani Gallery, New Delhi.

1994 Form and Spirit, Shakuntala Farms, Delhi.

1993 Display Art Gallery, New Delhi; The Mandarin, Hong Kong.

1992 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.

1990 Sridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi.

Selected Group Exhibitions & Participation

2024 “Past Forward: Remix and Collaborations in Ceramics & Glass”, curated by Dr Kristine Michael, Serendipity Arts Festival, Goa

2023 “Glass Menagerie”, curated by Dr Kristine Michael, The Glass Makers Club, Bikaner House, Delhi

“The Hourglass”, curated by Dr Kristine Michael, The Glass Makers Club, Bikaner House, Delhi

2018 “One Soul, Many Lives”, curated by Georgina Maddox, Artspeaks India, Bikaner House, New Delhi.

2013 Canvas for life, Grand Ballroom, The Oberoi, Gurgaon

Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, USA

2012 Sculpture installation, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 3, Delhi.

2001 Sculpture Garden, Tuscany, Italy.

2000 Sculpture2000.org, Connecticut, USA (representing India).

1987–1990 Annual shows, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS).

1991–1993 Annual Sahitya Kala Parishad exhibitions.

Collections

National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi
Coca-Cola Museum, Atlanta, USA (Olympic Games sculpture)
Corning Museum of Glass, USA
Partition Museum, Amritsar
Serena Hotel, Kabul.
The Park Hotel, Chennai & Delhi.
Delhi International Airport (T3).
JW Marriott, Delhi
Gymkhana Club Panjim, Goa
Private and corporate collections in India and overseas

Mediums & Practice

Cast glass, ceramics, copper, fibreglass, mixed media, Ceramic and painting.

Known for pioneering cast glass in India, integrating Indian visual culture with experimental material processes.

Began formal art training in 1962.
Studied painting at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, under Rameshwar Broota.
Attended short courses in sculpture and cast glass at St. Martin’s, London, and international workshops in glass-making.