Manu Parekh was born in 1939 in Ahmedabad and lives and works in New Delhi. He graduated from the Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay in 1962. A self-proclaimed “physical” painter, Padma Shri-awarded Parekh started his artistic journey with the objective to create a modernism rooted in vernacular traditions, thanks to his exposure to art forms such as rangoli and embroidery early on in his life. He eventually went on to discover a unique contemporary visual lexicon through working with weavers and textiles, particularly during his decade spent in Kolkata. The city’s authenticity, whether it was the progressive milieu or its poverty, left an indelible mark on Parekh’s psyche, providing his figurative abstraction with an unprecedented wave of creative inspiration. Following his move to Delhi in 1975, Parekh found himself at a loss for inspiration. Delhi was almost too manicured for him to find resonance and expression. It was only after his time spent in Banaras that a renewed surge of creativity blessed him, resulting in the works for which he is best known for today.