Noida International Airport has unveiled two large-scale artworks by Padma Shri awardee Paresh Maity ahead of its June 15 launch, blending spirituality, culture and immersive public art into the travel experience.
NIA’s art programme features Paresh Maity’s ‘Mystic Abode’ and ‘Jagriti’, reflecting India’s spiritual and cultural heritage as airports increasingly evolve into experiential cultural spaces.
Over 8,500 brass bells shimmer within a towering 12.5-foot steel structure titled ‘Mystic Abode’, the first major artwork greeting travellers at the departure area of Noida International Airport (NIA), which is set to launch operations from June 15.
Created by Padma Shri awardee Paresh Maity, the installation was originally commissioned for the St Moritz Art Masters festival in the Swiss Alps in 2016, and has now been brought to India for permanent display at the airport. Evoking ideas of home, refuge and spiritual calm, the immersive artwork reflects anxieties of contemporary life: urban fatigue, environmental uncertainty and the search for inner peace, through the symbolism of bells.
“Walking through it feels less like viewing art and more like entering a meditative pause,” said Maity during an art walk at the airport on Tuesday. “People today are searching for calm. We are passing through a volatile, unsafe environment all around. This structure is placed to give you peace and salvation, just like home. The bell sounds break negative, stagnant energies to bring positive energy,” said the 61-year-old artist.
“These works do more than decorate airports. They introduce travellers to India’s rich heritage, creativity and artistic diversity. By combining architecture with large-scale art, Indian airports create memorable cultural experiences for millions of passengers to take back stories. More art needs to be public,” he said.
Airports worldwide are becoming experiential cultural zones rather than mere transit points. Sculptures, murals and interactive installations are reshaping travel spaces into destinations in themselves, reducing stress while reflecting local identity and creativity. “We are proud to have such wonderful Indian airports with both art and technology incorporated. Each artwork details can be accessed via a QR code, enabling passengers to access descriptions and context,” added Maity.
Another of Maity’s masterpieces at Noida airport, Jagriti (Awakening), is an 8×100-foot acrylic-on-canvas work spread across six panels. Conceptualised over two years, it draws upon the sadanga, the six classical limbs of Indian art aesthetics.