Mazda Art Fest Showcases New-Age Artists
As the Bengaluru‑based artist joins the sixth Mazda Art Festival in Hyderabad, where over 175 artists are showing 250 works at the State Gallery of Art, the stories behind the walls stand out.
Hyderabad:Artist Maadhvan Goyal says many of his clients now approach him through Instagram with AI‑generated images, asking him to turn them into paintings. Five years ago, the challenge was the opposite — finding buyers for works that could sit unsold in galleries. Since 2021, daily painting and posting on Instagram has built him an audience of over 3.5 lakh followers, bringing commissions directly and later gallery invitations from India, Dubai and London.
As the Bengaluru‑based artist joins the sixth Mazda Art Festival in Hyderabad, where over 175 artists are showing 250 works at the State Gallery of Art, the stories behind the walls stand out. Alongside Goyal are young artists such as 18‑year‑old Monis Ahmed, who cannot hear or speak and has difficulty walking independently, trained under Laxmi Narayan in Hyderabad and found a buyer at the festival.
“I have many clients from Instagram who bring me AI‑generated images. I always tell them, ‘This is only an AI image. I will paint it in my own style and on my own terms’,” Goyal said. He added that while AI has improved, clients still seek the human touch.
Saturday’s live demonstration gave the Hyderabad audience a closer look at his black‑and‑white style developed over three years, with Ganesha as a recurring motif. He urged young artists to keep posting regularly and reach out to galleries and festivals, noting that social media offers freedom if built consistently.
Mazda Art founder Vispi Cyrus Tarapore said the festival grew from difficulties his wife faced in finding display opportunities. Mazda focuses on exhibitions, free demonstrations and recognition through awards. The Mazda Art Foundation will distribute ₹5 lakh among 50 artists on Sept. 13, with the first prize of ₹2.5 lakh.
