Painting gives me PEACE

Pooja Anant Bajaj proudly presents her debut solo show on wildlife art. MARWAR talks to the artist about her love for wildlife art and nature and her journey in the art world.

- Rachna Virdi

Wildlife artist Pooja Anant Bajaj is all set to launch her debut art show titled ‘Unleashed—Defining the Abstract’ releasing from 10-16 October, ’22 at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. Currently, her apartment is packed with her collection of artworks—all bubble-wrapped and carefully kept aside to be opened on the D-day. The exhibition is dedicated to her late husband Anant Bajaj, son of Kiran and Shekhar Bajaj of the Jamnalal Bajaj family. The slogan goes as this: ‘To the man who brought wildlife into my life!’

Discussing her love for wildlife art, Bajaj says, “My artworks revolve around horses, tigers and elephants. It all started with my husband Anant’s love for wildlife and nature. Post-marriage, we used to travel widely to wildlife sanctuaries and nature parks. He was the one who introduced me to wildlife and look, now I ended up painting all his favourite animals.” While Anant’s love for wildlife became Pooja’s own genre and inspiration, it was her seven-year-old son Vanraj’s Art Appreciation Course during the pandemic times and encouragement from his art teacher Anoushka Tejuja that prompted her to follow her passion for art.

Dabbling with paint brushes and colours gave Bajaj the peace and happiness she was striving for. Wildlife art came to her naturally as she poured out her expressions and went along learning different styles. Soon, her art canvas was full of sketches of tigers, elephants and horses. “One day, my in-laws spotted my sketches and asked me where I had this talent hidden all these years. Having learnt that I had painted them myself, they insisted that I must try for a show and here I am,” she muses.