Hemant Gavankar

Hemant Gavankar is a Mumbai-based visual artist and poet, and the recipient of the Art Centrix Painting Grant 2024. He completed his BFA in Drawing and Painting and MFA in Portraiture from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Hemant's art is deeply influenced by the changing landscapes of urban existence, shaped by his experiences in Mumbai, especially in his childhood days in Mulund, a suburb on the outskirts of the city. He has witnessed the city's rapid transformation, a process that has reshaped the social fabric of daily life and strongly influenced his artistic perspective. Over time, Hemant's work has evolved to explore the artificiality of human-made spaces and the emotional responses they evoke in the individuals who inhabit them. His practice is also strongly shaped by his constant negotiation with the city narratives he has witnessed firsthand. Hemant addresses issues such as the effects of gentrification, the transformation of private and public spaces, and the loss of histories. He often explores how these changes impact the self and the collective consciousness. His art draws from both personal experiences and broader sociopolitical themes, engaging with the ideas of loss, memory, nostalgia, and the liminality of urban life. His work examines the intersections of private, public, and digital spaces, often delving into the absurdities that arise from non-aligning events in these realms. His recent exhibitions include ‘MAGIC ERASE’, solo show at Art Centrix Space, New Delhi (2025); ‘Expanded Disciplinarity: Chapter 1 Constructing Painterly Relations’, inaugural exhibition of Art Centrix Grants, Art Centrix Space, New Delhi (2024); ‘EREWHON’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2023); ‘Connecting Dots’, Abir Space (2023); ‘Unknowns 7’, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy, Ahmedabad (2022); and ‘Monsoon Art Show’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2016). He was also awarded the Rangasetu Fellowship for Visual Art in 2023 by the Maharashtra Cultural Centre. Hemant currently lives and works in Mumbai.