The other side of nature | Paramjit Singh's exhibition 'Liminal Geographies'
In his first major Delhi exhibition in five years, Paramjit Singh blurs the line between memory and imagination with his recent landscapes
Through Paramjit Singh’s landscapes—brimming with brooks, mountains and vast skies—the artist’s profound affinity for the natural world becomes unmistakably clear. Growing up on the outskirts of Amritsar, Singh was surrounded by sprawling farms and nature rather than the noise of the city. These early years instilled in him a deep fondness for the outdoors, shaped by childhood walks and early trips into the mountains. Ultimately, these experiences did more than just influence his style; they stayed with him as an “inner light”, making the nature he paints feel like a personal, quiet sanctuary.
Through Paramjit Singh’s landscapes—brimming with brooks, mountains and vast skies—the artist’s profound affinity for the natural world becomes unmistakably clear. Growing up on the outskirts of Amritsar, Singh was surrounded by sprawling farms and nature rather than the noise of the city. These early years instilled in him a deep fondness for the outdoors, shaped by childhood walks and early trips into the mountains. Ultimately, these experiences did more than just influence his style; they stayed with him as an “inner light”, making the nature he paints feel like a personal, quiet sanctuary.
The veteran artist, who has been painting for more than six decades, has a new exhibition titled Liminal Geographies, currently being showcased at Vadehra Art Gallery, with 18 new canvases created over the past year. It has been five years since Singh’s solo exhibition at Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi, and two years since his 2024 show in Mumbai. When asked how this latest collection differs from his past work, Singh suggests that his trajectory is more of a steady evolution than a sharp turn. For the past decade, his work has remained in the same atmospheric vein; yet, he notes that “little developments” and new inspirations constantly refine his visual language, allowing the work to mature without losing its foundational spirit.
Although he still relies on the brush to fill the canvas with broad, sweeping strokes, the 91-year-old painter lately finds his pigments becoming thicker and more voluminous; and so, he has been turning more to the palette knife. “While the brush is perfect for spreading colour, the palette knife allows me to build up the ‘impasto’ and give the paint its physical weight. In my process, the brush sets the foundation, but I use the palette knife to finish the work.”
Singh has a unique way of approaching nature—sometimes with a touch of the surreal, other times with a sense of the supernatural. “For me, there is a certain drama in the natural world. I don’t treat my paintings as mere scenes to be copied; instead, I use nature and pigment as my personal language. While my inspiration always comes from the world around me, I never aim to replicate it exactly,” he says. When Singh finds a spot that moves him, he lets it settle in his mind until the minor details fade away and only the essence remains. “That essence becomes my starting point. From there, I develop an invented landscape—one that feels entirely natural, yet belongs completely to my own imagination,” he shares.
Through his work, the artist strives to capture the “other” side of nature—the parts that are not immediately visible to the casual observer. He views the natural world as something vast, asymmetrical, and constantly shifting. This fluidity is why he chooses not to paint a literal scene, but rather to create an entirely new work inspired by a specific location. “While the painting originates from that place, it eventually becomes something else entirely,” he explains.
Singh’s landscapes are notably devoid of human figures, a deliberate choice that invites the viewer into the frame. He believes that by leaving the canvas open, every onlooker can imagine themselves within the environment. By taking a physical spot and reimagining it on canvas, he transcends the original location. “In a sense,” he says, “I have expanded nature by giving a single spot a new, unlimited form.”
Even after six decades, the Delhi School of Art alumnus remains a dedicated student of his craft, approaching his canvas with the discipline of riyaaz. “I am not a sentimental painter,” he chuckles, adding that there is no wait for inspiration to strike for him to pick up his brush. Singh’s work continues to transcend specific geography—he may start with a memory of a forest but might finish with a sky of “courageous pinks” that exist only in his mind. By distilling nature into its purest essence, Singh continues to offer viewers an invitation to wander through landscapes that are entirely new, yet deeply familiar—a testament to an artist who doesn’t just replicate the world but generously expands it.
Liminal Geographies is on view at Vadehra Art Gallery till April 2
