Stone meets screen

How sculptor Naresh Kumar Kumawat is carving space for slow art in a fast India

- Anjali Kochhar

In 2025, when India consumes more digital content per capita than any other country, and attention spans shrink by the hour, it is almost ironic that one of the oldest art forms-monumental sculptureis finding new life through the same digital ecosystem that threatens to overshadow it. Murtikar Naresh Kumar Kumawat, whose Samudra Manthan mural at the new Parliament stands among his most recognisable works, sees this paradox as not a contradiction, but, a creative opportunity.

"Earlier, sculptors had very few avenues to show their work," he reflects. "Today, even a single post can reach thousands. The whole world is a gallery."

Monumental sculpture, with its scale, discipline and precision, is among the most competitive art forms in India. Recognition is subjective, pricing structures are fluid, and visibility is unpredictable. But in a country of over 150 crore people, Kumawat believes this very subjectivity can become an advantage. "Everyone has a different point of view," he says. "That creates more opportunities than obstacles."

At a moment when the digital world is becoming the most democratic exhibition space in Indian history, Kumawat is part of a generation of monumental artists navigating tradition and technology with surprising comfort and clarity.

Workshop to world stage