Preetkriti by Pratibha

Preetkriti is the artistic practice of Melbourne-based artist Pratibha Madan. Rooted in India’s living painting traditions and shaped by her contemporary life in Australia, Preetkriti brings together heritage, memory and modern expression. Each artwork is an invitation to pause, observe and connect — to culture, to story, and to shared human experience.Pratibha’s work draws deeply from folk art traditions such as Warli, Gond, Madhubani and Kalamkari, reinterpreting their visual languages through a contemporary lens. While the grammar of these traditions remains intact — rhythm, symbolism, repetition and narrative — the compositions and palettes speak to today’s multicultural, evolving world.

About

Pratibha Madan

Pratibha is an Indian-born artist who has called Melbourne home for over a decade. Her practice forms a quiet yet powerful bridge between where she comes from and where she now lives — shaped by memory, migration and lived experience.Growing up in Northern India, Pratibha was surrounded by environments where handcrafted art was woven into everyday life. Festivals, family rituals, textiles and bustling street markets created a visual world rich in rhythm, colour and narrative. Cultural spaces such as Delhi Haat — known for its handmade crafts and folk traditions — left an enduring impression. Her grandfather, an art teacher, was part of this creative environment, offering early exposure, though her artistic journey unfolded much later and entirely on her own terms.After moving to Melbourne in 2016, distance from home deepened her connection to the folk traditions she grew up around. Art became a way to hold onto cultural memory, reinterpret inherited symbols and share stories that resonate beyond borders. Today, her work blends Indian folk legacies with Melbourne’s contemporary sensibility — creating pieces that feel familiar, grounded and quietly alive.

Artistic Practice

Pratibha’s practice is grounded in the living painting traditions of India — Warli, Gond, Madhubani/Mithila and Kalamkari — visual languages passed down through generations as expressions of community, ritual and everyday life.Rather than treating these traditions as static, her work engages with them as evolving forms of storytelling. Through repetition, pattern and narrative sequencing, she explores themes of cultural continuity, migration, belonging and shared human experience. Her artworks appear on canvas as well as everyday objects, transforming traditional motifs and mythological references into accessible, contemporary expressions.Each piece celebrates cultural memory while inviting new interpretations, creating a dialogue between past and present that remains relevant in a global, multicultural context.

smART — Small Works Art Exhibition

smART is an annual small-works exhibition curated by Pratibha Madan. Launched in 2019, it is a celebration of creativity, inclusion, and community connection.Open to artists of all ages and backgrounds, smART has grown into a vibrant meeting ground for diverse voices across Australia. Over the years, the exhibition has welcomed participants ranging in age from 9 to 103, creating a rare intergenerational platform where emerging and experienced artists exhibit side by side.Each edition of smART weaves together a rich tapestry of stories, styles and perspectives, reflecting the strength of shared creative spaces.Through smART, art becomes more than display — it becomes connection. The exhibition bridges generations, cultures and abilities, inviting audiences and artists alike to participate in a shared journey. Whether you are a seasoned collector, a first-time exhibitor or a curious visitor, smART offers a welcoming space to belong.

Community & Outreach

Beyond the studio, Pratibha is deeply committed to strengthening community through art.

She is a founding member and current President of the Monash Community Arts Society Inc. (MONCAS), where she also serves as Principal Curator and organiser for all MONCAS exhibitions. Through this role, she actively fosters local arts, partnerships and participation, creating meaningful opportunities for artists across skill levels and backgrounds.Pratibha also leads the Art Connect monthly workshop program for MONCAS, encouraging creative exchange, learning and collaboration within the community.

Her curatorial work extends to long-term partnerships with vital community organisations. For several years, she has curated annual exhibitions for the Monash Reconciliation Group Inc. and the South Eastern Suicide Prevention Network, using art as a platform for dialogue, reflection and social connection.

Through workshops, exhibitions and hands-on art-making sessions for all age groups, Pratibha’s outreach practice focuses on inclusion, creativity and shared experience. Collaborations with local libraries and community organisations across Melbourne further extend Indian folk-art traditions to broader audiences.

Artist CV

Solo Exhibitions

  • Living Painting Traditions of India — The Track Gallery, Melbourne (2023)

  • The Collective — The Track Gallery, Melbourne (2021)

  • Floriana — The Track Gallery, Melbourne (2019)

  • Kalpvriksha – The Tree of Life — City of Monash Libraries (2019)

  • A Brush With Nature — The Track Gallery, Melbourne (2018)

  • Rejoice — City of Monash Libraries (2018)

  • Confluence — The Highway Gallery, Melbourne (2017)

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • Reworked — City of Monash (2026)

  • FAS Awards — City of Monash (2024, 2025)

  • Monash Affordable Art Exhibition — The Track Gallery (2024, 2025)

  • Show & Tell — Royal Exhibition Building (2023 - 25)

  • Festive Gifts — The Track Gallery (2022 - 25)

  • Art Connect Annual Exhibition — The Track Gallery (2021 - 25)

  • A4 Art Australia — Herring Island (2020 - 25)

  • Linden Postcard Show — Linden New Art Gallery (2021)

  • St Kilda Affordable Art Show — Space2b Design (2021)

  • Emerging Women — Box Hill Community Art Centre (2021)

  • Connections — AGRA Gallery (2021)

  • Joy — Space2b Design (2021)

  • Passage of Time — AGRA Gallery (2020)

  • Celebrating Women — The Highway Gallery (2018)

Awards, Grants & Scholarships

  • MAVA Art Prize 2025 — Melbourne & Victorian Artists Inc. (2025)

  • 30th Mayoral Art Exhibition - Time — Acquisition, City of Maroondah (2025)

  • Living Painting Traditions of India — Project Grant, City of Monash (2023)

  • The Scripted Art Collective — Project Grant, City of Monash (2022)

Exhibition Curation

smART – Small Works Art Exhibition
Annual open-call exhibition at The Track Gallery, Melbourne (since 2019)