Within the artistic landscape of Eastern India, self-portraiture remains a relatively underexplored genre. Even more uncommon are artists who engage with the self-portrait not as a straightforward exercise in likeness, but as a site of introspection a visual terrain through which memory, vulnerability, lived experience, personal mythology, and psychological inquiry converge.
In the broader history of modern art, few figures embodied this approach more powerfully than Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, whose self-portraits transformed autobiography into an enduring artistic language. Later, Indo-Hungarian painter Amrita Sher-Gil reinterpreted this introspective mode through her own modernist sensibility, prompting many to regard her as “India’s Frida Kahlo.”
In contemporary Bengal, Multidisciplinary Artist Soumita Saha has been steadily cultivating a body of work that places self-representation at the centre of an expansive emotional and philosophical narrative. Her self-portraits function not merely as depictions of the artist’s physical presence, but as visual chronicles of inner transformation, remembrance, resilience, and self-interrogation.
It is perhaps for this reason that sections of the online art community have affectionately described her as the “Frida Kahlo of Bengal” and, at times, the “Frida Kahlo of the Twenty-First Century.” These conversations found renewed resonance at Summer Colour Carnival, the much-anticipated exhibition organised by Bengal Art Factory at Kolkata's Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata.
Curated under the guidance of Bengal Art Factory founder and curator Kingkar Bandyopadhyay, the exhibition assembled a diverse spectrum of artistic voices, aesthetic approaches, and conceptual concerns. Among the many works on display, two self-portraits by Soumita Saha distinguished themselves through the remarkable contrast in their visual languages and thematic articulation.
Rendered in acrylic, the paintings occupy opposing ends of the expressive spectrum while remaining united by the artist’s exploration of identity and personal experience. The first work, “Chhayanot,” draws its title from the celebrated monsoon raga. In this lyrical self-portrait, Saha imagines herself as an ethereal presence enveloped in the verdant hues of the rainy season.
Draped in a green sari and immersed in an atmosphere suggestive of renewal and longing, the figure becomes an embodiment of nature’s restorative power. Amid the oppressive heat and exhaustion associated with summer, Chhayanot emerges as a visual equivalent of the season’s first rainfall a poetic invocation of serenity, rejuvenation, and emotional awakening.
The work's chromatic harmony and dreamlike ambience lend it an almost musical sensibility, translating the essence of the raga into painterly form. In striking contrast, “Elysium Dissonance” adopts the language of geometric abstraction.
Constructed through an intricate interplay of recurring motifs, structural rhythms, and layered pattern formations, the painting navigates the complexities of personal identity through a non-representational framework. Here, the artist’s presence is not revealed through direct figuration but through a carefully orchestrated visual architecture of repetition and disruption.
Speaking about the work, Soumita Saha reflects :
"Elysium Dissonance is essentially the story of my life. Throughout my journey, I repeatedly found myself caught within cycles of recurring experiences and situations. The painting emerged from my attempt to break free from those invisible loops and reclaim my own sense of self."
The exhibition itself presents a compelling dialogue between generations, featuring works by several distinguished senior artists alongside an impressive contingent of emerging practitioners. Running from 2nd to 7th June at the second-floor gallery of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, the exhibition offers audiences an opportunity to engage with a rich cross-section of contemporary artistic practices.
A further highlight of the event was the presentation of the prestigious “Shilpi Gourav Samman”, bestowed upon Soumita Saha and two other artists in recognition of their dedication to artistic practice and their creative contributions to the cultural sphere. The honour carries particular significance as an acknowledgment of sustained commitment to artistic excellence.
The inauguration ceremony and award presentation were attended by several distinguished guests, including Anshuman Pal, Zonal Head of ICCR; Amit Samanta, Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly; noted academic, poet, and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nandini Sahu; and Uma Ray, Curator of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture.
Their presence further underscored the cultural importance of the occasion and reinforced the exhibition’s role as a platform celebrating both artistic achievement and emerging contemporary voices. Through Chhayanot and Elysium Dissonance, Soumita Saha demonstrates the remarkable breadth of self-portraiture as an artistic form one capable of accommodating both lyrical figuration and geometric abstraction, while remaining rooted in the enduring quest for self-understanding. Together, the two works offer not merely images of an artist, but meditations on becoming.