Mahak Sethia
Research Projects
A collection of ongoing research, visual investigations, experiments, and process-led explorations that exist alongside my paintings. These projects emerge through observation, material inquiry, writing, documentation, and curiosity, shaping the conceptual and emotional foundation of my practice over time.
Poetics of growth and de-growth
What happens when the artist chooses stillness over action, imperfection over polish, or erosion over clarity?
Future of Transportation
A speculative exploration of the human body as an ecological and architectural landscape through which systems of movement, memory, vulnerability, and growth circulate.
Synergy of Life
Within landscapes, the horizon serves as a line that we cannot control. A seemingly infinite line that stretches beyond our immediate reach. It is the point of connection and boundary where the earth meets the sky, where the tangible and intangible merge.
Poetics of growth and de-growth
What happens when the artist chooses stillness over action, imperfection over polish, or erosion over clarity?
Synergy of Life
Within landscapes, the horizon serves as a line that we cannot control. A seemingly infinite line that stretches beyond our immediate reach. It is the point of connection and boundary where the earth meets the sky,
Aterra
Aterra traces a quiet evolution—from cellular roots to botanical surfaces—capturing life in transition. Each circular piece becomes a world in flux, blending human and natural systems into a shared visual language. The name means “of the earth,” reflecting a return to organic origins and the fragile interdependence of all living forms. Through this unfolding, Aterra invites reflection on identity as a process of becoming, not being.
Research Projects
Becoming
Becoming is a circular surrealist painting that explores identity as fluid and ever-changing. Blending scientific and sacred imagery, it reveals a human face emerging from organic, cell-like forms. The work reflects on transformation, portraying the self as a living, evolving ecosystem.
In-Between Series
In-Between is a series of circular monochromatic works on wood that explore the subtle interplay between the human body, nature, and science. Using anatomical and microscopic imagery, the pieces evoke petri dishes, blending precision with abstraction. The black, ink-like aesthetic highlights both the fragility and resilience of life, inviting reflection on the hidden systems that connect us.
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A Glimpse Within
A Glimpse Within reflects on the emotional impact of rapid technological change. Part of the Future of Transportation series, it uses organic forms and muted tones to explore inner stillness amid external motion—inviting a moment of introspection in a fast-moving world.
