Tarini Sethi builds utopian worlds where intimacy, myth, and desire intertwine.

Tarini Sethi builds utopian worlds where intimacy, myth, and desire intertwine.

Born in New Delhi in 1989, Tarini Sethi is a contemporary artist whose practice spans painting, drawing, and sculpture, united by an exploration of intimacy, mythology, and the body. Drawing on Indian art traditions such as Kalighat, Miniature painting, and Tholu Bommalata shadow theatre, she reinterprets folklore through a contemporary lens. While her works on paper unfold dreamlike narratives of hybrid figures and mythic encounters, her intricately cut metal sculptures have become her signature. Illuminated, they project elaborate shadow environments that extend imagery into surrounding space, dissolving the boundary between object, environment, and imagination.

Born in New Delhi in 1989, Tarini Sethi is a contemporary artist whose practice spans painting, drawing, and sculpture, united by an exploration of intimacy, mythology, and the body. Drawing on Indian art traditions such as Kalighat, Miniature painting, and Tholu Bommalata shadow theatre, she reinterprets folklore through a contemporary lens. While her works on paper unfold dreamlike narratives of hybrid figures and mythic encounters, her intricately cut metal sculptures have become her signature. Illuminated, they project elaborate shadow environments that extend imagery into surrounding space, dissolving the boundary between object, environment, and imagination.

A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest
A formal oil painting of a man in a black coat, wearing a medal on his chest

Across mediums, Sethi’s figures—part human, part animal—navigate themes of sexuality, vulnerability, and transformation, challenging conventions of gender, beauty, and identity. By centering the body as both vessel and agent, she responds to histories of scrutiny and repression while envisioning spaces of resilience and worldbuilding. Her practice also reflects on political skepticism, mental health, and ecological fragility, situating personal narratives within collective realities. Exhibited at the Mumbai Urban Arts Festival and featured in Architectural Digest India, her works construct immersive worlds where light and shadow, myth and intimacy, converge to reimagine utopia.

Across mediums, Sethi’s figures—part human, part animal—navigate themes of sexuality, vulnerability, and transformation, challenging conventions of gender, beauty, and identity. By centering the body as both vessel and agent, she responds to histories of scrutiny and repression while envisioning spaces of resilience and worldbuilding. Her practice also reflects on political skepticism, mental health, and ecological fragility, situating personal narratives within collective realities. Exhibited at the Mumbai Urban Arts Festival and featured in Architectural Digest India, her works construct immersive worlds where light and shadow, myth and intimacy, converge to reimagine utopia.

Artist CV
Artist CV
Artist CV

Artwork Showcase

Undercurrent and The Golden Womb

Graphite on 300 gsm archival paper

38 x 53 cm

2025

Undercurrents and The Golden Womb

Stainless steel

228.6 x 146.3 cm

2025

Answering a Ticklish Question

Stainless Steel

3.334 x 5.812 Feet

2024

It Didn't Happen Overnight

Stainless Steel

4.156 x 6.4 Feet

2024

Loud Whispers Brought Them Here

Stainless Steel

3.048 x 5.633 Feet

2024

Soft On Their Feet

Stainless Steel

3.363 x 5.8 Feet

2024

Soft Touch Warm Glow

Stainless steel

167.64 x 137.16 cm

2024

The Frenzy We See

Stainless Steel

3.094 x 5.2 Feet

2024

Undercurrent and The Golden Womb

Graphite on 300 gsm archival paper

38 x 53 cm

2025

Undercurrents and The Golden Womb

Stainless steel

228.6 x 146.3 cm

2025

Undercurrent and The Golden Womb

Graphite on 300 gsm archival paper

38 x 53 cm

2025

Undercurrents and The Golden Womb

Stainless steel

228.6 x 146.3 cm

2025

Answering a Ticklish Question

Stainless Steel

3.334 x 5.812 Feet

2024

It Didn't Happen Overnight

Stainless Steel

4.156 x 6.4 Feet

2024

Loud Whispers Brought Them Here

Stainless Steel

3.048 x 5.633 Feet

2024