ART | 07th June, 2025
Inspiring Through Emotion: Naman Mahipal’s Art beyond the Sound of Words
Naman Mahipal works with wood, brass, and an approach shaped by lived experience. Born in New Delhi in 1993 with congenital hearing impairment, his communication started through observation rather than speech. Body language, gestures, and facial expressions became his early tools for understanding, and later formed the basis of his creative perspective.
He studied Animation and Fine Art at Apeejay Stya University, where he began combining 3D design technology with traditional sculpture techniques. Instead of sketching, he starts projects in digital form using modeling software. This stage focuses on proportions and the intended emotional response rather than only structural precision. Once satisfied with the digital model, he shifts to physical construction.
Mahipal primarily uses MDF board for its stability and ease in shaping. Brass accents are added for visual contrast and to create a sense of weight. Textures are developed through surface treatments to convey a specific mood or mental state. The choice of materials is functional, selected to support the subject matter rather than follow design trends.
His Indian Mother and Indian Bride series demonstrates his method. These works focus on small but significant details: a bindi, a bun, the posture of the figure. Each element is selected to represent everyday discipline and identity. The figures are neither idealized nor exaggerated. They reflect observed realities without narrative embellishment.
Subjects are drawn from real interactions and daily environments. He notices how people occupy space, how they react in moments of pause, or how expressions change in response to memory or stress. These small signals become the basis for his compositions.
His work also reflects a measured approach influenced by his mother’s spiritual discipline. This is visible in the balanced proportions of his figures and the consistent symmetry of his compositions. There is no excess detailing; every feature has a role in defining the form.
Mahipal’s process moves through clear stages: digital modeling, cutting and shaping MDF, integrating brass elements, and applying surface finishes. The finishes are chosen to either smoothen the surface for a calm presence or add texture to suggest complexity or tension. Scale, proportion, and edge treatment are adjusted according to the intended interaction between the viewer and the piece.
By the age of 28, Mahipal’s work had been presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and in exhibitions in Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. While these platforms expanded his audience, he defines success by viewer engagement. A longer pause or repeated return to a piece signals that the work has achieved its purpose.
He describes his process as building meaning from silence. The absence of sound in his life has heightened his focus on visual and tactile communication. The sculptures do not come with lengthy explanations. They are meant to be experienced directly, allowing each viewer to interpret them independently.
Material selection remains consistent. MDF provides accuracy in cutting and stability over time. Brass offers durability and a deliberate break in texture and color. The two materials together allow him to create forms that are structurally reliable while visually distinctive.
The outcome is not decorative display pieces but physical records of human posture, gesture, and condition. They function as visual archives rather than symbolic representations. This emphasis on observed reality over stylized interpretation keeps his work grounded.
In an art market that often rewards novelty or spectacle, Mahipal’s work maintains a steady focus on clarity and intent. His aim is to create forms that hold attention without demanding it. Each piece is designed for extended viewing rather than instant recognition.
The value of his work lies in its ability to connect without relying on verbal explanation. It addresses a simple but often overlooked idea: that physical form can carry complex meaning when observed closely. For Mahipal, sculpture is not about representing a subject; it is about preserving a moment in a way that can be revisited and understood differently over time
NAMAN’S SPECIAL MOVES
Catches a blink you didn’t even notice
Builds sculptures that breathe
Makes wood feel emotional
Turns abstract thoughts into concrete wonder
SCULPTURE OR SOUL MIRROR?
Warning: Staring too long at a Naman piece may result in:
Sudden self-reflection
Unexplained empathy
Saying “Wow” out loud in a quiet gallery
NAMAN’S ART GLOSSARY
Emotional Architecture
Micro-expression
Poised Realism
Digital to Dimensional
Silent Storytelling
Sculptural Soul craft
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