Monika Shukla emerges as a compelling voice within India’s contemporary art landscape, advancing an expressive and deeply intuitive visual practice. She works across painting, sketching, and mixed media; through these modalities, she interrogates emotion, orchestrates color, and constructs layered personal narratives. Largely self-directed, she rejects rigid stylistic orthodoxies and instead privileges experimentation. Consequently, her visual language evolves with fluidity, shaped by process as much as by intent. Her works synthesize emotive expression with process-driven inquiry, thereby embodying the dynamism and flux that define today’s creative milieu.
In an exclusive interaction with The Interview World at The Haat of Art, Monika articulates the conceptual foundations of her practice while clarifying the messages she seeks to communicate through her work. Moreover, she reflects on the motivations that underpin her artistic trajectory, contextualizes her journey through years of sustained engagement, and delineates her participation in exhibitions. She further evaluates audience reception with candour and, importantly, distils her experience into a considered message for emerging artists. The following encapsulates the key insights from this incisive dialogue.
Q: Could you elaborate on the central themes that inform your artistic practice, and the message or experience you aim to convey to your audience?
A: I practice as a mixed media artist, and at The Haat of Art, I present a selection of my works. Among them, Free Soul stands as a deeply personal articulation of my lived experience.
I approach this painting not merely as an artwork, but as a statement. As a dialysis patient and a full-time artist, I confront the physical and psychological constraints that chronic illness imposes. Yet, rather than submit to these boundaries, I actively resist them. Through Free Soul, I assert a deliberate rupture, an insistence on transcendence.
The work therefore urges a release from imposed boundaries. It rejects fear. It dismantles restriction. Instead, it advocates for self-liberation, an unencumbered return to one’s authentic self. At its core, the painting invites the viewer to reclaim agency, to rediscover joy within limitation, and to locate meaning within what remains possible.
Moreover, I position art as both practice and remedy. It functions simultaneously as my profession and my therapy. In this dual role, it sustains me, creatively, emotionally, and existentially.
Q: In the face of health challenges, what has motivated you to remain deeply engaged in your artistic journey?
A: I recognize that the act of painting often carries an undercurrent of pain, especially when shaped by persistent health challenges. However, rather than yield to that discomfort, I consciously transmute it into creative expression. In doing so, I convert vulnerability into form, and suffering into visual language.
At the same time, my family anchors this journey. Their unwavering support not only sustains me but also compels me to pursue my artistic calling with conviction. Art, in fact, has always resided at the core of my identity; yet, it was their encouragement that activated it as both practice and purpose.
Consequently, I embraced art not only as a passion but also as a therapeutic discipline. It offered structure, release, and meaning. Thus, while navigating dialysis, I began to paint what I experienced and what I felt, translating inner turbulence into tangible, expressive works.
Q: How long have you been practicing as an artist, and how many exhibitions have you participated?
A: For over seven years, I have engaged with art as a professional practice. However, its origins trace back to my childhood, where it first took root as an enduring passion. Over time, that intrinsic inclination matured into a committed vocation. As a self-taught artist, I have relied on instinct, discipline, and sustained inquiry to shape my practice. Consequently, it is this very passion that has propelled me to my present position.
At The Haat of Art, this marks my fourth exhibition, an ongoing engagement with a platform that continues to contextualize my work within a wider artistic discourse. Beyond this, I have also exhibited across multiple galleries, thereby extending both the reach and resonance of my practice.
Q: What kind of response have you received from your audience?
A: Viewers consistently respond to my work by foregrounding its visual intensity: its vibrancy, its chromatic richness, and its immediate aesthetic appeal. However, the engagement deepens once they encounter the narrative that underpins the work. When they learn of my health journey, their response often shifts from admiration to reflection, and ultimately to inspiration.
Consequently, the reception extends beyond surface appreciation; it becomes an emotive and empathetic exchange. I continue to receive a considered and affirmative response from viewers and art enthusiasts alike, affirming both the visual and experiential resonance of my practice.
Q: Have you had the opportunity to showcase your work on any international platforms?
A: Last July, I advanced my practice onto an international platform by participating in an exhibition in Paris. This engagement marked a significant expansion of my artistic reach, situating my work within a global context and enabling it to converse with a broader, transnational audience.
Q: What guidance would you give to aspiring artists pursuing a professional path in art?
A: I assert one principle with clarity: do not pursue the market as an end in itself. Instead, turn inward and follow your emotional truth. Focus on authentic self-expression; let that remain your sole imperative. When you create with integrity and remain faithful to your inner voice, that honesty inevitably extends outward. In being true to yourself, you establish a deeper, more genuine connection with others.
