Nikhil Chaganlal (b. 1961, Mumbai, India) is a self-taught contemporary artist whose evocative works offer an intimate glimpse into the emotional landscapes of memory and identity. He refers to his paintings as “portraits of interiors”, not just literal rooms, but deeply personal spaces that function as visual diary entries. These interiors evoke the old-world charm and faded warmth of forgotten memories, layered with subtle narratives of longing, vulnerability, and self-exploration.

Chaganlal's art is rooted in personal experience, often reflecting the turbulence of a disturbed childhood and the complex tapestry of relationships that have shaped his life. Each object—a chair, a curtain, a lamp, is laden with psychological weight. His compositions suggest the invisible presence of those who inhabit or haunt these rooms, blending emotions of restless sexuality with a yearning for spiritual transcendence.

What further sets Chaganlal apart is his distinctive technique. He paints on Masonite, using a combination of acrylic and oil paints, enhanced with industrial chemical sealants typically employed in the fishing boat industry. This unique material approach gives his surfaces an aged, tactile quality, simultaneously durable and delicate, mirroring the emotional dualities in his subject matter.

Over the years, Chaganlal has developed a body of work that is hauntingly beautiful, deeply autobiographical, and unflinchingly honest. His paintings transcend aesthetic appeal to become meditations on memory, space, and the self.