Untitled, 2024

Ishita Patel (b. 1998) is an artist whose practice traces an evolution from the literal to the abstract, guided by her fascination with the expressive potential of line. Her early works engaged with the subject of hair, its repulsiveness and allure, shaped by a personal memory of her father’s phobia of loose strands. This exploration led her to investigate hair as both an object of beauty and discomfort, before gradually shifting her focus from representation to the formal and conceptual possibilities of line itself.

In her recent practice, Patel constructs compositions where lines are cut, drawn, or overlapped suggesting textures and rhythms without direct reference to hair. Watercolor and charcoal on paper form her primary medium, chosen for their ability to hold intimacy and immediacy, while her exploration of scale allows her to reframe the viewer’s experience of space, fluidity, and movement. By manipulating the arrangement of lines, she creates works that oscillate between chaos and control, evoking both order and spontaneity.

Patel earned her MFA in Painting (2024) from the Faculty of Fine Arts, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and her BFA in Painting (2022) from M. A. Parikh Fine Arts and Arts College, Palanpur. Her recent exhibitions include The 18th edition of The Baroda March, Rukshaan Art, Mumbai (2025); Shimeesha Art Show, MSU Baroda (2025); Without Cube, MSU Baroda (2024); and the Annual Degree Show, MSU Baroda (2024), alongside earlier participations in the 62nd Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy (2022) and Potluck at MSU Baroda (2023). Her practice has been recognised through numerous awards: the Late Hiralal Khatri Award, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy (2022); Gold Medals from Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University and the Kalakari Film Festival (2022); multiple Class First distinctions (2019–22) at M. A. Parikh Fine Arts College; and the Art Appreciation Award, Himatnagar (2020). Patel is also a two-time recipient of the Nasreen Mohamedi Scholarship (2022–23, 2023–24), along with the Smt. Kankuben Teravala Prize (2022) and the Smt. Jayvantiben Rasiklal Mehta Scholarship (2020).