A book about Colourful Whispers, an art exhibition featuring paintings by elders living with dementia in Bangalore, India. It traces the project from a single art day through three editions held at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, showing how the exhibition grew and what it revealed about creativity, communication and care.
This is the third edition of a book documenting Colourful Whispers, an art exhibition featuring paintings created by elders living with dementia in Bangalore, India. It is for anyone interested in dementia care, art therapy, or the creative expression of older adults.
The book begins with the origin of the project: a single art day where around 20 elders picked up brushes and painted freely. The team noticed that elders with dementia could still make creative choices, and decided to exhibit the work publicly.
The first exhibition raised questions about whether visitors would see the artwork or just the diagnosis. People came, families, students, older adults, and the paintings sparked conversations. The second edition grew larger, with more units, more participants, and a venue at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
The book describes the people behind the paintings: elders who paint, caregivers who encourage, clinicians who understand, and families who watch. It explains the name Colourful Whispers as a way to describe quiet, subtle expressions that ask for attention.
The third edition is structured into five zones within the exhibition space, designed to immerse visitors in understanding dementia, its early signs, and possibilities of care. The paintings remain central, while the experience expands beyond the artwork itself.