Artist – Chetan Salunke

Chetan Salunke, born in 1999 in Nashik, Maharashtra, has been living in Gujarat for the past 25 years. He began his journey as an art practitioner seven years ago. His artistic practice is deeply rooted in his observations of life, human emotions, nature, and the search for meaning in an increasingly fast-paced and artificial world.
For Chetan, art is a way of exploring the human experience—the emotions, relationships, responsibilities, struggles, and moments of happiness that shape our lives. He believes that beneath the demands of everyday life, there remains a quieter, more authentic part of us that seeks peace, connection, and a meaningful existence. His paintings emerge from this exploration, translating his own thoughts and emotions while also drawing from his understanding of the experiences of others.
Nature plays an important role in his life and practice. He finds in it a sense of confidence, simplicity, and connection to humanity. Through painting, he seeks to express emotions so honestly that, eventually, the painting can speak for itself.
Chetan’s work brings together elements of miniature art and modernism, creating a distinctive visual language that connects traditional artistic sensibilities with a contemporary outlook. He works primarily with watercolour, charcoal, and oil, and is also an avid live sketch artist. For his realistic works, he works across paper, oil canvas, and MDF panels, exploring different surfaces to achieve the expression and character he envisions.
At the heart of his practice is a simple belief: art cannot truly be taught; it comes from within. What some may describe as a God-given gift, Chetan calls talent—an innate ability that grows through observation, experience, practice, and the courage to remain honest to oneself.
He does not see himself as a great artist, or even as someone who has arrived at being an artist. He considers himself a student—and intends to remain one. His journey is an ongoing process of expressing, exploring, learning, and understanding life through art, while hoping that his work encourages others to reconnect with their own emotions and their true selves.