What the Ground Remembers: Jyoti Tyagi’s Quiet Reckoning with Urban Change

A  solo exhibition by Delhi-based artist Jyoti Tyagi, Stories the Soil Remembers, will be held at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, from 8th to 14th May 2026. Curated by noted poet, art critic, and curator Prayag Shukla, the exhibition presents a compelling body of work rooted in themes of nature, memory, and ecological sensitivity.
Working with charcoal, acrylic, and mixed media, Jyoti Tyagi creates evocative works on paper and canvas that are both visually engaging and conceptually layered. Her practice has already generated significant interest within the art community, particularly through works previously shared on social media.
Through recurring motifs such as peacocks, trees, and seemingly barren landscapes, the artist reflects on the deep interdependence between humans and nature. Her work speaks of the nourishment we receive from the natural world, while also raising questions about care, responsibility, and environmental fragility.

Jyoti Tyagi’s artistic journey is a blend of academic excellence, lived experience, and a lifelong inclination toward creative expression. As she reflects in her profile, “Creativity has been an intrinsic part of my nature since childhood, but I began painting regularly around 2008, gradually nurturing it into a committed and evolving artistic practice.”  Here is your write-up converted into third person:

The journey of being human is complex, and Jyoti Tyagi positions herself as a voice navigating this experience. Her work emerges as a response to the overwhelming nature of contemporary life—a means of making sense of the constant flux that defines it. Each painting becomes a space where thought, memory, and perception surface and recede, echoing the way experiences unfold over time.

She works primarily with charcoal, soft pastels, and acrylic on canvas. While charcoal and pastels enable raw, spontaneous mark-making, acrylic allows her to build layers and depth. She often scratches into the surface, creating etching-like marks that introduce tension and a tactile quality. These marks evoke a sense of time—something simultaneously being constructed and eroded.

A significant aspect of her practice lies in observing the relationship between urban spaces and nature. As cities expand, nature recedes—often quietly and unnoticed. She repeatedly returns to this tension. Her works are not traditional landscapes but rather spaces where disparate elements attempt to coexist. Birds frequently appear in her compositions, acting as subtle presences within these shifting environments. They embody both displacement and resilience, opening up reflections on larger ecological concerns without imposing fixed meanings.

Her recent body of work, Stories the Soil Remembers, began with a persistent question: what does the ground hold when it is continuously built upon? The works seek answers through a quiet engagement with the unseen layers of the city. Rather than offering resolution, they invite contemplation.

In a time marked by rapid advancement, Tyagi emphasizes the importance of reflection—questioning not only how far society progresses, but also what is left behind. This body of work becomes an invitation to listen: to the soil, to silenced narratives, and to the stories that remain buried beneath the city’s relentless expansion. Through her practice, she attempts to hold onto the possibility of coexistence, however fragile it may be.

Jyoti Tyagi’s artistic journey is a blend of academic excellence, lived experience, and a lifelong inclination toward creative expression. Creativity has been an intrinsic part of her nature since childhood which she gradually nurtured into a committed and evolving artistic practice.

Born in western Uttar Pradesh and now residing in Ghaziabad, she continues to draw inspiration from her surroundings, her roots, and the everyday rhythms of life. Her academic foundation is strong and diverse. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics, and a B.Ed, which culminated in a three year long fulfilling teaching career.

Her journey as an artist hasn’t been without its own share of ups and downs. Familial responsibilities and societal hurdles caused a 19 year long pause in her artistic endeavours. At the age of 41, with much courage, she went on to pursue her Diploma in Fine Arts; that has provided her with the technical grounding and artistic discipline that shape her visual language today. Jyoti’s work has been showcased at several prestigious platforms across India. She has participated in group shows at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, and 2022. Her art has also been featured in major national exhibitions in Varanasi, Amritsar and Lucknow including the Kashi National Art Exhibition and the All India Art Exhibitions of the Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar. She was felicitated and awarded by the Lalit Kala Academy, UP. She has also participated in several art camps.

Her works have found new homes in various private and corporate collections in India and overseas. A defining milestone in her career was her first solo exhibition, “TRANSFORMATION,” held at Lalit Kala Akademi in 2019; a culmination of years of dedication and artistic growth. Today, Jyoti Tyagi continues to evolve as an artist, exploring new ideas and perspectives while staying rooted in sincerity and discipline.