Naturally, I felt some fear. I think it’s only human when moving to a completely unfamiliar country. But I remember clearly that on the very first day, I felt like I had arrived in a place I wouldn’t want to leave,” admits artist Ildiko Morovszki. The Hungarian artist first set foot in India with her family in 2014, and spent five years travelling its expanses and “capturing every remarkable experience” on her canvas. Six years after her dream of never leaving was cut short in 2019, Morovszki returns to a Mumbai gallery, this time in a courteous, diplomatic avatar as a head of secretary at the Consulate General of Hungary Mumbai. Her new evocative artworks speak for themselves.

“As an artist, I felt like I had entered paradise. I was captivated by the colours, the vibrant streets, the smiling people and the incredible historical heritage. I also happen to love spicy Indian food, so that was a joy in itself,” Morovszki chuckles as she recalls her first impressions of the city. At her farewell exhibition at a BKC venue in 2019, the artist presented portraits inspired by fellow Hungarian-born 20th Century art icon, Amrita Sher Gil. Among 75 art works on display were scenes from Varanasi, Haridwar, Madurai, and as a parting gift to Mumbai — a silhouette of the Carter Road promenade.

Ildiko Morovszki at the gallery