The auditorium of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, transformed into a vibrant confluence of colours, music and creativity as artist Bharat Tripathi brought his unique live art performance, Rang Tarang, to audiences recently. The evening combined the spontaneity of live painting with the emotional depth of live music, creating an immersive artistic experience that unfolded in real time. Held at NGMA Mumbai, the event featured the artist, a retired Indian Revenue Service officer and contemporary artist, painting live on stage while vocalists Urvashi Shah and Rama Chobhe performed a carefully curated musical repertoire. The interaction between brushstrokes and melodies allowed audiences to witness the birth of an artwork, shaped by rhythm, emotion and improvisation. ART BEYOND BOUNDARIES Unlike a conventional exhibition where completed works hang silently on gallery walls, Rang Tarang invited viewers into the artist’s creative process. As music filled the auditorium, Tripathi responded through colour, texture and movement, translating sound into visual expression before the audience’s eyes. Explaining the genesis of the experiment, Tripathi said, “So far my solo shows have been theme-based and if I wanted to tell a story I was bound by the mythology or the story behind it. Though I started with pure figurative abstracts, I was drifting more towards figurative than abstract. I had been thinking of trying abstract painting where I am not bound by any boundaries in thought and expression.” The performance highlighted a rare dialogue between two artistic mediums, with music becoming both inspiration and collaborator in the creative act. FROM GALLERY WALLS TO LIVE PERFORMANCE The idea for Rang Tarang evolved from earlier encounters between Tripathi’s paintings and live music. He recalled how musical performances during his exhibitions left a lasting impact on him. “In 2024, Pune Art Foundation was celebrating my two decades of artistic journey where Urvashi had performed live one evening and it was an amazing experience listening to her sing amongst my paintings hung on the walls. Similarly, during my last solo show Anjaneya in September 2025 at Jehangir Art Gallery, Rama performed one evening during the show and she mesmerized the audience with her music,” he said. Those experiences sparked a desire to move beyond static displays and create art in direct conversation with music. “While I wanted to experiment doing abstract painting live listening to the music, I also wanted my audience to participate in the process — listening to music and seeing its expression on canvas taking the form of artwork,” Tripathi added. MUSIC AS A CREATIVE CATALYST The evening’s musical segment, led by Urvashi Shah and Rama Chobhe, provided far more than a soundtrack. Their performances became an integral part of the artistic journey, guiding shifts in mood and energy across the canvas. Tripathi consciously structured the performance around the strengths of both musicians. “I consciously decided to start with Urvashi. Vocal has words with which the audience could relate, and it would set a direction. That was then taken over by Rama and her instrumental music took me to another level where I felt liberated, and so was my expression on the canvas.” As the performance progressed, the transition from lyrical vocals to instrumental music mirrored the artist’s own movement from structure to freedom, resulting in a canvas that evolved organically before the audience. A NEW DIMENSION OF ARTISTIC PRACTICE Tripathi has long been known for balancing a distinguished career in public service with a deep commitment to art. A protégé of the late modernist master S. H. Raza, he has built a reputation for works that draw upon spirituality, mythology and personal reflection. Following his acclaimed solo exhibition Anjaneya last year, Rang Tarang revealed another dimension of his artistic practice — one that embraces performance, spontaneity and audience engagement. Here, the act of creation became as significant as the finished artwork itself.CELEBRATING INTERDISCIPLINARY ART Hosted at Mumbai’s iconic National Gallery of Modern Art, one of India’s foremost institutions dedicated to modern and contemporary art, Rang Tarang reflected a growing interest in interdisciplinary artistic experiences that blur the boundaries between visual arts, music and performance.
For audiences, the evening offered more than an art demonstration or a musical recital. It became a rare opportunity to witness inspiration taking shape in real time — where every note found a colour, every melody inspired a movement, and every brushstroke told a story.
