Kolkata witnessed the grand inauguration of Ekaa – The One, a national travelling art exhibition by Dr. Beena S. Unnikrishnan that presented a powerful contemporary interpretation of the 64 Yoginis. The exhibition opened in the city, bringing to audiences a rare artistic engagement with one of India’s most conceptually sophisticated yet under-explored cultural traditions.
The inauguration took place in the esteemed presence of Mr. Syed Gardezi, Acting Consul, U.S. Consulate; Mr. Anirban Das, Theme Artist and Director of Bengal Echoes and award-winning Concept Designer for Asian Paints Sharad Shamman; Mr. Raju Burman, Owner of Rupa Publications and Treasurer of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild; and Mr. Silajit Ghosh, Edupreneur and Abstract Expressionist.
Ekaa – The One featured 64 contemporary paintings of the Yoginis, a series that Dr. Beena had spent five years creating. The project formed part of an ambitious national journey across 16 states. The exhibition had commenced in Kochi earlier this year and had already travelled to several cities across the country before arriving in Kolkata, creating spaces for audiences to engage with the Yoginis not merely as mythological figures, but as powerful frameworks of feminine knowledge, identity and cosmology. Conceived as a non-commercial travelling exhibition, the initiative aimed to reintroduce the Yogini tradition to contemporary audiences through art, research and dialogue. The Yogini temples, which emerged between the 9th and 12th centuries, were circular, open-air spaces that challenged traditional ideas of power, gender and ritual and were seen as places where feminine knowledge and cosmology were explored beyond orthodox structures. Drawing from this legacy, Dr. Beena’s paintings did not attempt literal representations; instead, they reinterpreted the Yoginis through a contemporary visual language, connecting the ancient tradition with present-day conversations around gender, heritage and identity. Known for her unique process, the artist had begun each painting with the eyes, creating a personal connection before completing the form.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Beena S. Unnikrishnan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Atelier Magazine and Founder of Kankali Trust (KT-ACED), said, “The Yoginis were never merely figures of mythology; they represented ways of thinking about power, embodiment and feminine knowledge. Through Ekaa – The One, I attempted to translate those silent histories into a contemporary visual language. Bringing the exhibition to Kolkata felt deeply meaningful because the city has always nurtured bold artistic and intellectual conversations. I hoped that viewers would engage with the works not just as paintings, but as encounters with an ancient yet living feminine legacy.”
Presented as a non-commercial public initiative, the exhibition remained open to all visitors without any entry fee, and none of the artworks were placed for sale, reinforcing its intent to make the Yogini heritage accessible to a wider public beyond institutional or market frameworks. With its arrival in Kolkata, Ekaa – The One sparked a compelling dialogue between ancient feminine knowledge systems and contemporary artistic expression, turning the exhibition into more than just a showcase of paintings — it became a powerful cultural moment that reintroduced the timeless Yogini tradition to today’s audiences through a bold and contemporary lens.
