Shobha Broota (b. 1943, Delhi) is a pioneering figure in Indian contemporary art, celebrated for her contemplative abstractions and deeply spiritual visual language. Trained in both Indian classical music and fine art, holding a Sangeet Visharad (1962) and a Diploma in Fine Arts from the College of Art, Delhi (1964), Broota’s practice is rooted in an exploration of sound, rhythm, and silence translated into visual form. She has been teaching art since 1964, shaping generations of young artists with her distinct sensibility, commitment to minimalism, and meditative approach to artmaking.
Over the past five decades, Broota has presented numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including Show Gallery LA (2020); Resonance at Aicon Gallery, New York (2018); SNO Gallery, Sydney (2015); and Looking Within at the Museum of Sacred Art, Belgium (2014). Her works have been shown in major galleries and institutions across the globe, from Delhi and Mumbai to Singapore, London, Amsterdam, Seoul, Los Angeles, and beyond. Notable earlier solo exhibitions such as A Path Beyond (Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto), Edge of Infinity (Indigo Blue Art, Singapore), and her long-standing presence at Shridharani Gallery, Delhi, mark her as a persistent voice in the evolving narrative of Indian abstraction.
She has participated in significant international exhibitions and art festivals, including the India Art Fair, Triennale India, Lalit Kala Akademi shows, Asian-European Art Biennial (Turkey), curated global exhibitions in Russia, Korea, Europe, and multiple artist residencies in Australia, Guyana, Malaysia, and India. Her work has traveled extensively through thematic shows such as Indian Abstracts: An Absence of Form (Delhi Art Gallery), 25 Contemporary Indian Artists (Moscow, Paris), and Forms of Devotion (China, Belgium, India), situating her art within both Indian modernist currents and international dialogues on abstraction and spirituality. Her artistic excellence has garnered her several prestigious honors, including the “Alva’s Varna Virasat” National Lifetime Achievement Award (2018), the Raja Ravi Varma Samman (2017), multiple fellowships and scholarships from the Ministry of HRD, and awards from Sahitya Kala Parishad and AIFACS.
Beyond her artistic practice, Broota has served as curator for numerous exhibitions, most notably the WHITE ON WHITE series and PANORAMA shows with Origin Studio artists, fostering younger talent and experimental forms. Her works are housed in prominent collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art in India, Malaysia’s National Gallery, and in renowned private collections such as those of Chester Herwitz and E.M. Schoo.
The artist lives and works in New Delhi and works as a teacher at Triveni Kala Sangam in New Delhi, India.