Standing before her canvas, 13-year-old artist and poet Mehr Dhawan speaks softly, yet her words and her art resonate with a quiet urgency.
A class 9 student, the artist recently presented her first solo exhibition, Duality, at the College of Art here. The show, inaugurated by Vijay Bidhuri, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest, is a powerful reflection on pollution, loss, and the fading balance between humanity and nature.
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For Mehr, the exhibition represents the contrast between two worlds: the one that once was, and the one we inhabit now. “Before, our world used to be green, clean, and full of light. But now I see mountains of plastic around us,” she said. “The world has become dirtier and darker. Through Duality, I wanted to show how our world has changed.”
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Among the artworks that drew attention, Mehr’s Fishbone piece holds particular emotional weight. “When I visited Juhu Beach in Mumbai, I saw plastic bottles scattered across the shore and several dead fish lying nearby. That sight stayed with me,” she recalled. The artwork, made using recycled materials, stands as a quiet protest against the environmental neglect that threatens marine life.
Mehr’s exhibition seamlessly weaves together visual art and verse. For her, creativity begins with words. “I first write a few words that I can use in my poetry and then make the canvases,” she explained. “After that, I will complete the poems.” The poems complement the paintings, each a meditation on loss, renewal, and the need for collective responsibility.
Drawing inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh’s expressive brushwork, Mehr explores texture and depth in her canvases using unconventional materials such as spatulas, spoons, and discarded brushes. “I like showing different textures and making the paint pop out instead of lying flat,” she said. “It makes you feel more for the painting and adds definition to the story behind it.”
Though soft-spoken, Mehr’s art speaks volumes. “I was an introvert as a child. Art and poetry help me express what I cannot say in words,” she said. Her creative process, she believes, allows her to communicate directly with people not through speech, but through emotion.
Her hope is that viewers leave Duality with a renewed sense of environmental awareness. “Even small steps like carpooling or using public transport can make a difference,” she said.
Mehr’s engagement with the environment goes beyond her art. Having planted more than 30,000 trees, she draws parallels between the growth of a sapling and human development. “Watching seeds grow into trees taught me about patience and transformation. It’s very similar to how we grow as individuals,” she reflected.
In her charcoal works, Mehr also turns her gaze to rural India. “People often see villages as unclean, but to me, they are full of greenery and life. Their simplicity makes them healthier and more connected to nature,” she observed.
At just 13, Mehr believes that age is no barrier to change. “No matter how young or old you are, you can still make a difference if you have determination,” she said.
With Delhi once again shrouded in post-Diwali haze, the young artist’s words carry added weight. “Even if the court allows crackers, people should be sensible. Burning them only pollutes our air and harms our health,” she cautioned.
Through Duality, Mehr Dhawan invites the viewers to look not just at her art but at themselves to see both the beauty we once had and the damage we continue to cause. Her message is simple yet profound: change begins not with age, but with awareness.
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