Manik Raj Nakra

Two years ago today I unveiled my most ambitious painting “Man Who Fell To Earth” on the facade of @contemporaryatx in downtown Austin. An homage to the 1976 film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, in which #DavidBowie portrays an alien seeking water for his home planet which is suffering from severe drought. The Greek myth of #Icarus, whose hubris led him to his death, reminds me a lot of our world leaders and their empty actions towards #climatechange. This mural is meant to be a warning. The animals perched in the tree watching Icarus plunge into the sea are also symbolic of man’s folly towards our natural world; the majestic leopard as a symbol of war and colonialism, the rats as the Industrial Revolution, and snakes as lust and greed. It is an honor to still have this artwork on the museum two years later. Again thank you to museum director @maidensharon head curator @apkapkapk project manager @emmacschmidt sponsor @thelorenaustin mural painting crew @showgoatmuralworks and my friends and family for believing in and supporting me and the project. 🥲 P.S. I have begun work on a new PERMANENT public art project for downtown Austin that I can’t yet reveal due to a NDA that is going to be even bigger! than this one. Can’t wait to tell yall. 🙃 #manikrajnakra #theicaruspaintingsmrn

STUDIO SALE TOMORROW. Only for newsletter subscribers! Sign up link in bio. Here is a Studio retrospective 2013-2025 . Help me make room and fund some projects I have for 2026. Sale will have NEW STUFF OLD STUFF NEVER BEFORE SEEN STUFF #manikrajnakra

I’m thrilled!!! to announce my painting “SLEEP” has been acquired by the @moodycenteratx as the centerpiece for their new backstage artist lounge/green room. Imagining the caliber of A-list musicians that will now be hanging with this piece before and after their shows is truly mind boggling and surreal to say the least. These pics are from 2019 when it debuted at @grayduckgallery Thank you to the architects at @gensler_design @gensleraustin and The Moody Center teams for inviting me into their vision. A dream opportunity in the city I call home. Honored and grateful. 🙏🏾 60in x 80in . Oil paint, oil stick, metallic pigment on 12 canvases.

“Witchwoman” New assemblage on handmade paper for my ongoing #kalimothsMRN series. All new works on paper for my next solo show at @preacheraustin @preachergallery September 2026! 15.5inches x 19.25inches Watercolor, gouache, pigment, copper leaf, block printing ink, glue on handmade paper.

Last month living in Mexico City I painted my largest ‘Siren Painting’ to date. 17 ft x 14 ft at a private residence in Condesa. The flowers depicted are ones I saw on my daily walks - Chocolate Cosmos (maroon), Yucca Flower (cream), Evening Primrose (purple). The palette of the snake is that of the blue agave plant which has a rich history within Mexican culture. I also used metallic paints on a mural for the first time. #thesirenpaintingsmrn #manikrajnakra

Thank you @preacheraustin for putting together this feature of my ‘Kali Moths’ series in the newest issue of The Good Word. So jazzed to also announce I will be having an exhibition with them in September 2026! My first solo show in Austin since Dec 2023. More info and sneak peeks to come this summer. Thank you everyone for all the support. 🙏🏾 @preachergallery

My new upside down painting seen here on a rooftop terrace overlooking Parque México in Hipódromo, La Condesa in Mexico City. 4.5ft x 18ft . Last slide is the pre-Columbian stone skull I saw at @anahuacalli that inspired me

Last one for 2025 🌊THE SEA, THE SKY🌅 (Icarus Painting) 48inches x 60inches . Ink & Pigment stained ceramic stucco, oil paint, gold leaf, spray paint on canvas. #theicaruspaintingsmrn #manikrajnakra #stuccopainting #icarus

One of my favorite paintings from 2025. “The Slasher”. An artwork about metamorphosis and transformation and channeling our animal instincts. Shown here at @pablocardozagallery in Houston. I sculpted the tiger face mask from clay. Looking forward to attaching more clay elements to my canvases in 2026. Oil paint, acrylic paint,oil stick, pastel, clay, ceramic stucco on canvas. 66in x 40in. #manikrajnakra

Now Showing ~ SLIGHT OF HAND at MPM Gallery (link in @mepaintsme bio) Manik Raj Nakra, Slasher Landscape, 2025, watercolor and ink stained ceramic, stucco, oil paint, wax pastel, spray paint, pigment on canvas, 14 x 11 in., 35 x 27 cm @smallest_m Through bold, contemporary applications of paint, woodblock printing, collage, ceramic stucco, and mixed media, Manik Raj Nakra (b. 1982) fuses Indian iconography, colonial relics, and mythological motifs to explore civilization’s enduring relationships with power, ritual, desire, and transformation. From his early series The Tigering!, an expansive collection of over 150 works on paper depicting India’s historical tiger attacks, to his monumental 42ft x 102ft mural reinterpreting the Greek myth of Icarus, Nakra has become known for his dynamic compositions—where striking colors and intricate patterns collide to examine our animal instincts and reconnect modern life with the natural world.

Shores of Asia Minor. 24 inches x 30 inches. Watercolor & ink stained ceramic stucco, oil paint, wax pastel, glitter on canvas. #thesirenpaintingsmrn The Siren Paintings explore the tension between allure & threat, beauty & fear, nature & myth, mortality & renewal. #manikrajnakra

“The Mango Within” sold from my recent studio sale. Let me know if you would still like to see the catalogue. Thank you to everyone who has reached out. 16in x 11.25in Watercolor, block printing ink, charcoal, glue on handmade paper assemblage. #manikrajnakra #worksonpaper #handmadepaper #studiosale #kalimothsMRN