Flowing into Creation – Self Portrait

Artist Seema Kohli (born 1960)

dated 2024, Acrylic and ink on canvas with gold leaf
36 x 24 in. (91.4 x 61 cm.)

This self-portrait by Seema Kohli, is a vibrant synthesis of personal identity, mythic imagination, and cosmic symbolism. The central face – an embodiment of the artist herself – radiates an intense stillness and wisdom. In this portrait flowing hair, intricately detailed with organic forms, birds, and clouds, transforms into a universe teeming with life. On the bottom, a stylized deer, trees, and celestial motifs suggest the cyclical and nurturing essence of the feminine. The use of gold leaf elevates the portrait beyond the personal, infusing it with a sacred aura.

Seema Kohli is a contemporary Indian artist known for her explorations of feminine energy, mythology, and transcendental consciousness. Working across media—painting, sculpture, video, and installation—Kohli often draws on Tantric traditions, cosmology, and sacred texts to create works that merge the physical with the metaphysical. Her aesthetic is rooted in storytelling, and she frequently places herself at the center, not just as subject but as shakti—the creative force. In this self-portrait, she blurs the boundary between the individual and the cosmic, offering a visual narrative of interconnectedness. Kohli’s art is deeply spiritual yet grounded in sensuality, and this work stands as a luminous expression of her belief in art as a living, evolving meditation.