Posted on 7 November 2026:
🎨 #YathraCanvas | Art in a Frame
Where the Flower Turns Towards the Light: “Moods of Sunflowers” Inaugurated in Bengaluru
Bengaluru’s art lovers stepped into a field of quiet emotion today as “Moods of Sunflowers”, the first solo exhibition of Dr. Uma Nambiar, was inaugurated on Saturday, 7 November 2026, at Chitrakala Parishath, 1 Kumarkrupa Road.
The inaugural event began at 11:30 AM with her own art mentor, Dr. MS Murthy, as chief guest, joined by distinguished guests Justice Anish Dayal and Ms. Shailaja Tripathi.
For an artist presenting her first solo show after more than thirty years of painting, having her mentor inaugurate it made the moment especially meaningful.
A Conversation Thirty Years in the Making
The exhibition began with a ten-year-old girl and a painting by Vincent van Gogh. Bewildered by sunflowers that were not quite the ones she knew, she found that the flowers stayed with her. Over more than thirty years of painting, that early encounter became a continuing conversation.
“The sunflower could be exuberant or hesitant, companionable or alone. Its bowed head could hold weariness, memory or peace. It did not have to remain in full bloom to remain worthy of attention,” says the artist.
“This story follows those changing moods. The flowers become our companions through the pleasure of belonging, the unease of change and the slow discovery of acceptance. Each painting offers a pause in that journey leaving enough room for your own reflections and memories.’
“The moods do not belong to the flowers alone. Some also emerge from the feelings I carried while painting them. Far more important off course will be the moods of the viewer.”
“For my first solo exhibition, I bring these private conversation into a shared space. The child who once wondered at a sunflower now invites you to share the views with her. The story begins where the flower turns towards the light, ” she added.
In her words,
“I began by looking for the sun. Along the way, I found a place for every mood.”
The Indian Wash Technique
Dr. Uma Nambiar uses the Indian wash technique across oil, acrylic and watercolor, leaving some things unresolved, much like emotion itself. Ochre dissolves into sunlight, blue-grey speaks of stillness and silence, and green emerges and fades into a quiet, reassuring presence.
As she puts it,
“The sunflower tells its story through its posture. The wash gives that story its atmosphere.”
The sunflower has known a full field and an empty room, the weight of weather and the comfort of someone staying close, and each has changed the way it meets the light.
In Dr. Nambiar’s paintings, the flower becomes a mirror for a human life. We recognise in it the reach of a young stem, the warmth of familiar faces and the need, at times, to lower our heads. The sunflowers do not ask the viewer to choose a single mood. They let joy and sorrow, confidence and uncertainty, youth and age live in the same world.
“The sunflowers do not ask us to choose one mood and remain there. They allow joy and sorrow, confidence and uncertainty, youth and age to occupy the same world. Perhaps this is the quietest lesson of nature.”
— Dr. Uma Nambiar
She credits her mentors, Mr. BD Dethan and Dr. MS Murthy, who graced the inauguration as chief guest. “Some flowers bloom on a canvas. Others stay with us for a lifetime.” — Dr. Uma Nambiar
📍 Venue: Chitrakala Parishath, 1 Kumarkrupa Road, Bengaluru – 560001
🗓 On view: 7–11 November 2026
🎨 #YathraCanvas
