The idea of the exhibition began with a chance discovery. While driving along the Lonavala-Khandala road, Desai caught a sudden glint of colour from the corner of her eye – vivid etched glass, glowing in the sunlight. She stopped to discover a trove of discarded windows, remnants of a once-lived-in home. “It was much like Wordsworth’s inward eye,” she recalls. “I bought the entire lot. That moment began my search for old windows.”
Many of these windows, sourced from abandoned or demolished homes around Lonavala, particularly in the wake of COVID, form the backbone of the exhibition. Others are handcrafted by Desai herself, using repurposed and sustainable wood.
Literary influences quietly run through the show. Desai’s love for the vintage world brings to mind A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, while the exhibition’s title draws from The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham.
Having moved homes often as a child, Desai’s memories are anchored not to rooms, but to the space beside the window… reading, watching the world go by, even struggling to finish a glass of milk! “Windows to me are a space to reflect on your inner and outer worlds,” she says. “They are metaphors of life… of keeping both worlds balanced, of appreciating the wonderful world we live in without getting trapped in our own little cages.”
The exhibition brings together a rich range of materials and processes: glass painted with specialised glass colours; wood treated with natural oxide polishes, stains, varnishes, wax crayons and shellac; and a tactile series on jute and hemp, created using oils, acrylics and pastels – all reflecting Desai’s enduring love for natural materials.
“Painting on old wood and glass is very different from painting on canvas,” shares Desai. “Each window requires extensive preparation from cleaning and pest control to removing excess material while carefully retaining its original structure, colour, and character.” A year in the making, “the process is slow and demanding,” she adds.
Having lived in several cities through her life, Desai’s work reflects an ever-evolving dialogue between place and self. Inspired early on by veteran artist Prafulla Dahanukar, who lived in her neighbourhood, Desai went on to receive the Prafulla Dahanukar Foundation Award for Best Emerging Artist in 2013. Though largely self-taught, she has trained at UAL, London, studied art under Mr. Vinchurkar, and is mentored by artist-curator Satyendra Rane. With a PhD in History, Desai brings an academic depth to her art.
Artist Nandita Desai’s The Painted Window brings together discarded objects that find a new voice through art. “When people stand in front of these works,” concludes Desai, “I want them to see art… not touched-up windows, but works that live and breathe anew. They are vintage pieces turned into novel art.”
The Painted Window will be on display at the Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery – Bajaj Bhavan, Nariman Point, from 16th March to 21st March 2026, daily 11 am to 7 pm.
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