Chennai-Based Artist Beena Unnikrishnan Brings Her Travelling Solo Exhibition ‘Ekaa – The One’ to Mumbai, Celebrating the 64 Yoginis Through Art

The showcase will also include a special documentary screening on 2nd February, with two shows scheduled from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 11:00 AM – 12:00 Noon.

“The journey began when I started painting Maha Tripurasundari”, says Beena, who is originally from Kollam.

“She is a powerful universal energy and I wanted to capture her 64 expressions. These forms or energies represent Yoginis, and Beena explains that while they embody feminine energy, they need not be restricted to gender norms. “They are beyond gender and are the energy within oneself’ she adds.

Beena has been painting and documenting the 64 Yoginis since 2015, a project rooted in deep personal exploration. The exhibition is an outcome of a spiritual trail she undertook across Yogini temples in India beginning in 2015, travelling extensively to understand their histories, energies, and mythic significance. Her canvases reimagine the Yoginis as women of immense power, serenity, and unrestrained grace. Her canvases reimagine the Yoginis as forces of inner power and awakening. Gouri represents transformation through renewal and graceful evolution. Charchika embodies divine vigilance, fiercely protecting truth and what is sacred. Bhadrakali carries the power of spiritual knowledge, cutting through illusion to restore clarity and balance.

While painting the Yoginis, Beena travelled extensively to the 64 Yogini temples across Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. Though these temples have been architecturally restored under the ASI, she says it is deeply painful to witness the goddesses in broken form. “It feels disturbing to see the deity fragmented,” she reflects, adding that these spaces deserve far greater attention, as there is so much wisdom and meaning still waiting to be understood and communicated through them.

With sparkling eyes, flowing tresses, and an arresting presence, these divine feminine embodiments reclaim their space in contemporary cultural discourse. Beena notes that many statues of Kanchipuram,Tamil Nadu of these “wandering goddesses” now lie scattered across museums worldwide, and she believes her work will encourage the government authorities attempts to bring them home to collective memory.

“Ekaa – The One” is a travelling exhibition that will cover 16 states across India. Mumbai is among the prominent destinations in a journey that includes Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Varanasi, Kolkata, Nagpur, Delhi and more. This marks Beena’s first solo show in 15 years, following previous exhibitions in Dubai. She travels with the artworks herself, honouring the personal and spiritual nature of the project. Recent chapters include successful shows in Kochi and Coimbatore,  Bengaluru with Mumbai  being her next destination.

Beena has authored a book titled “Whispers of the Unseen,” chronicling her multi-year journey in search of the Yoginis. She has also produced a documentary- “Y64: Whispers of the Unseen,” directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jain Joseph, founder of Indie Film School. The documentary will be previewed at each destination, including Mumbai. Currently, she is working on a coffee-table book that highlights the symbolic essence and cultura relevance of each Yogini, intentionally steering away from religious framing to let artistic interpretation lead.Mr Sahahzada Kuram a curator is an adviser on the board of this project says”