Kian Foundation proudly presents Shakti: The Art of Resilience, an exhibition that celebrates the strength, courage, and creativity of women connected to India’s defence community. Hosted at the Living Tradition Centre, Bikaner House, New Delhi, from 24–29 October 2025, the exhibition has been conceptualised by Siddhartha and Aarti Naik and is an initiative of Kian Foundation.
Shakti is more than an art exhibition—it is a movement to honour the unseen resilience of women within India’s defence ecosystem: the wives, daughters, and mothers who silently shoulder the weight of service. After its successful editions in Pune and Goa, Shakti arrives in the nation’s capital as a space where art meets social impact, and where policy, philanthropy, and creativity converge.
This edition marks a significant milestone as Kian Foundation will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA). Through this partnership, the net proceeds from the exhibition—after artist compensation and operating costs—will directly benefit war widows, women living with disabled or amputee ex-servicemen, and women from defence families pursuing education and professional growth.
Bringing together powerful visual languages across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, Shakti narrates stories of endurance and remembrance. The works invite reflection, empathy, and responsibility—positioning art not merely as an aesthetic experience, but as a catalyst for change.
The artist line-up includes Subodh Kerkar, Sudharak Olwe, Vijender Sharma, Nilesh Vede, Niranjan Jonnalagadda, Prakash Bal Joshi, Milind Mulick, Late Pratap Mulick, Shampa Sircar Das, Vipta Kapadia, Meera George, Vivek Nimbolkar, Ajit Deswandikar, Nilisha Phad, Ketaki Pimpalkhare, Dinkar Jadhav, Shrikant Kadam, Satyajeet Varekar, Rashmi Khurana, and Sukesan Kanka.
Photograph by Padma Shri Sudharak Olwe
Bathed in an incandescent veil of magenta light, she stands—a storm contained in silk—resolute, regal, and radiant. In this striking image by Padma Shri Sudharak Olwe, the lavani dancer of Maharashtra’s folk legacy transforms into a symbol of defiance and dignity. Through his lens, she is no longer a performer on stage; she becomes a voice rising from centuries of silence.
Her gaze pierces through the mist like truth breaking through illusion. Her raised hand is not a gesture, but a declaration: I will not be forgotten. Her other hand, poised in quiet grace, holds the calm of strength—the peace after struggle. In this duality of command and composure, she embodies Shakti: the power that creates, nurtures, and transforms.
This image is more than a portrait—it is a mirror to our times. The woman in the frame represents every woman who has been silenced, defined, or dismissed, and yet continues to stand tall. She stands for the dancer once deemed unworthy, the worker unheard, the mother unseen, and the girl finding her voice amid noise. Through her, they all rise.
The Spirit of Shakti reminds us that power doesn’t always roar—it sometimes simply refuses to bow. It teaches that resistance can wear a bindi and bangles; that femininity and ferocity are not opposites but complements. Strength, it shows us, is not the armour of dominance but the grace of endurance.
In dedicating Shakti to her, Kian Foundation honours every woman who has turned pain into poetry, silence into sound, and survival into art. This photograph stands as both tribute and testament—a reminder that art, like womanhood itself, carries both pulse and purpose.
“Delhi is where Shakti belongs,” said Siddhartha Naik, Presenter at Kian Foundation. “We are honoured to partner with AWWA to ensure that our admiration translates into tangible opportunities for women connected to the defence forces.”
Aarti Naik, also a Presenter at Kian Foundation, added: “Art has the power to create empathy and action. Shakti is our way of honouring resilience while building long-term support.”
