Suraj Kumar Kashi

In the surreal worlds of Suraj Kumar Kashi, reality isn’t an escape but an expansion. His canvases are theatres of myth and memory, where everyday figures walk between the divine and the ordinary. Through vivid symbolism, floating forms, and lyrical colour, Kashi transforms ancient Indian storytelling into a language of contemporary truth.

Born in Jamui, Bihar, and now based in New Delhi, Suraj’s journey from small-town life to the urban sprawl has profoundly shaped his art. He paints the contrasts he has lived: the simplicity of roots against the complexity of city life, the silence of reflection against the noise of ambition. His works also feature a recurring exploration of feminine identity: women who once carried the weight of tradition now soar, bloom, and transcend, becoming metaphors of freedom, grace, and inner strength.

Drawing deeply from Indian mythology and surrealism, Kashi reinterprets gods, goddesses, and fables not as relics of the past but as mirrors of our present. “The story never dies,” he says. “It’s always rewritten to teach us something new.” In his hands, open cages, clocks, birds, and flowers become portals and symbols of liberation, time, and rebirth.

His compositions speak to both intellect and instinct, layered narratives that invite viewers to look again and again, each time discovering a new meaning. Acrylics and oils merge on his canvases to create depth and dreamlike fluidity, while his installations extend his vision into tactile, socially resonant spaces - from bricks painted as books to coins that question human attention and empathy.

Kashi’s art reminds us that myth and modernity are not opposites but continuations of each other. To collect his work is to collect a story that evolves with the viewer, inviting reflection, awakening emotion, and holding within it the timeless pulse of Indian imagination.