In a unifying gesture of inheritance and reinvention, Niyamat Mehta’s sculptures speak of identity, mythology, and belonging. Traversing classical craftsmanship and contemporary sensibility, her bronzes are at once rooted in tradition and alive with the spirit of modernity. Each work is a meditation on form and meaning, an interplay between the permanence of bronze and the fluidity of human imagination.
Trained at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art, Mehta absorbed the discipline of Western classicism on the banks of the Arno. Fluency in the languages of Rodin and Camille Claudel is evident in her work, yet she translates this knowledge into a distinctly personal idiom. Drawing from Indian mythology and cultural narratives, she forges a hybrid aesthetic where Uccaiḥśravas, the celestial horse, might stand beside an eagle symbolising intelligence, or an elephant’s head embodying unity and familial bonds.
This fusion of East and West creates a sculptural language that is both timeless and unmistakably her own.
Her practice extends beyond mastery of material, it is an exploration of identity. Horses, elephants, portraits, and mythological archetypes all serve as vessels for her to contemplate strength, vulnerability, and the ever-shifting relationship between heritage and individuality. Each sculpture becomes a mirror of her cultural DNA, commemorating legacies while pushing them forward into new dimensions.
From monumental bronzes to Surrealist-inspired resin works, Mehta’s oeuvre reveals a deftness in balancing gravity with play. A witty undercurrent of humour sometimes surfaces, yet the foundations remain deeply serious: a belief in sculpture as a language of permanence in a transient world. Her elephant, horse, and portrait series soon to be unveiled at Essere, her second solo exhibition at Bikaner House continue her pursuit of sculpting characters that embody both myth and humanity.
Outside the studio, Mehta remains committed to the artistic community. Through Atelier Della Firenze, her New Delhi-based studio, she shares her training with aspiring artists, offering mentorship and making classical techniques accessible in a contemporary Indian context. For her, sculpture is not only an act of creation but of transmission, a way to keep alive the tactile knowledge of clay, plaster, and bronze for the next generation.
Reverberating with celebratory energy, Mehta’s sculptures are more than works of art; they are testaments to the endurance of heritage and the possibility of reinvention. They honour tradition, embody personal expression, and invite us to consider how history and identity can be recast in the present moment.