Born into the lap of art and culture in Buldana, Maharashtra – a quaint town close to the famous Ajanta Caves of India, Sangeeta Abhay has dedicated her art to the life and teachings of Gautam Buddha. A graduate of the Government College of Art, Aurangabad, she secured the first rank in her BFA degree at the University, which earned her a fellowship. After getting married, Sangeeta Abhay moved to Bangalore and worked in advertising for 14 years at McCann Worldgroup. Throughout this time, she had a searing desire to spread the message of Lord Buddha, and so she finally decided to translate this vision on to a canvas. Her first solo exhibition was held in Bangalore in 2008.
Sangeeta Abhay has participated in multiple group exhibitions and held solo shows in different parts of India, the US, and Indonesia. She was invited to participate in the prestigious Florence Biennale XII in 2019, where she received critical acclaim for her work from the international community, and was also awarded for her anamorphic sculpture fusing science with art. Through her paintings and sculptures, Sangeeta tries to unravel different facets of the life and teachings of Lord Buddha. The artist sustains her fascination with the Bodhi Tree, under which the Master attained Nirvana. In Sangeeta’s own words, “My quest for the Buddha continues.”
Sangeeta’s signature artistic style is defined by the use of highly complex techniques and spectacular detailing, resulting in a surprising visual simplicity, that has the same soothing effect as Buddha himself. She works extensively with gold leaf in her oil paintings, and has created sculptures using various materials including resin and discarded keyboards. Her impressive works of art have earned her praise from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, filmmaker Shyam Benegal, Narayan and Sudha Murthy, noted painter and researcher Dr. Pushpa Dravid, and many other accomplished individuals. Moved by her work and tied by their common devotion to Buddha, Padma Bhushan and Grammy awardee Gulzar (Indian lyricist and poet) has penned couplets for five of Sangeeta’s artworks. He has also dedicated a poem for her solo show at Jehangir Art Gallery. Sangeeta Abhay was also selected to featured in BBC’s seminal documentary ‘Civilization’, shot in 31 countries across 6 continents. She features in the third episode, titled God and Art. The show has currently been released solely in USA.