‘Mirrors: Distance Between Worlds’: An exhibition by Shana Sood and Yolanda Peña Mazzoni

An exhibition titled Mirrors: Distance Between Worlds, featuring works by artists Shana Sood and Yolanda Peña Mazzoni, is currently on view at Bikaner House, New Delhi. Curated by Georgina Maddox, the exhibition opened on July 23 and brings together realist paintings that explore migration, memory, identity and womanhood through the distinct perspectives of the Indian and Cuban diasporas.

The exhibition examines the cultural interplay between two artists who grew up in different parts of the world but are connected by shared questions of belonging. Positioned between continents, generations and personal histories, the show reflects on how women navigate cultural inheritance while revealing both the differences and emotional resonances in their lived experiences.

“It is a show about cultural distances — between countries, between generations and between selves. Our works delve into similar themes but emerge from deeply rooted and vastly different cultural contexts,” Sood said.

Sood’s paintings, rendered in oil on canvas, draw heavily from her Indian heritage and feature women in traditional attire. Her works explore cultural memory, resilience and the duality of living between India and the United States. “My work reflects a longing that is both personal and collective. It expresses the duality of identity as someone who lives in the USA but holds a vivid, emotionally charged vision of India,” she said.

Mazzoni’s series centres on the idea of connection, exploring relationships between people, places, ideas and communities through portraits and landscapes. “Painting gives me a way to document my life: portraits, places, moments and inner landscapes. It helps me understand what really matters,” she said, adding that the series is “a painter’s meditation” on those connections.

Sood, who was born and raised in New Delhi before moving to the United States in 2005, is a self-taught artist whose work has been exhibited across New England. Mazzoni, who trained in interior architecture before pursuing painting, has exhibited her work at galleries across the United States and currently serves as Managing Director of Client Services at Artists for Humanity.

Together, the artists present contrasting visual vocabularies that reveal shared experiences of migration, cultural inheritance and transformation, offering a dialogue between women, cultures and generations.

When: Until July 29; 11 AM to 7 PM

Where: Bikaner House, New Delhi