Arts Acre

Beyond the Frame: Shanu Lahiri’s Art of Transformation

In association with
Arts Acre
In collaboration with
Curator's Note

Shanu Lahiri’s life and work embody a quiet rebellion against the conventions of art and the societal structures that define its audience. For her, the canvas extended into the streets, onto walls, and into the lives of people. Lahiri embraced radical inclusivity; engaging communities often left out of the aesthetic discourse of the city. Born in an era when women artists were marginalised, Lahiri shaped her career with a vision that was both fiercely individual and deeply collaborative. She immersed herself in art history but expressed it without elitism. This exhibition is not a retrospective but a conversation - between Lahiri and the city she loved, between the formalism and experimentation as a prominent member of ‘The Group’ she co-founded, and the streets of Kolkata she transformed or the women she painted. Viewing her art means engaging in reimagination, understanding that every surface holds the potential for beauty and that every space can become a canvas for collective transformation.