Conjuring teeming urban jungles—where four-headed leopards perch on cityscapes and silver-teethed monkeys pray for salvation—Manik Raj Nakra embraces the ancient world as our own.

Through bold and contemporary applications of watercolor, paint, stucco and mixed media, Nakra blends Indian iconography and artifacts, colonial anachronisms and ancient folklore to explore civilization’s timeless relationships to power, ritual, lust and growth. From his first series “The Tigering!,” which included 150+ works on paper depicting India’s numerous tiger attacks, to his recent 42ft x 102ft mural reimagining the Greek myth Icarus, Nakra has become known for juxtaposing striking colors with prolific compositions that examine our animal instincts and invite modern humanity back into the natural world.

Over the last decade, Nakra’s work has been included in numerous solo and group shows throughout Texas and California, including exhibits at The University of Texas, The LINE Hotel and The Contemporary Austin Museum, with recognition from publications like New American Paintings, Oxford American and Cosmopolitan India. In 2023, Nakra was the fourth artist commissioned to paint the facade of The Contemporary Austin — Jones Center, joining a legacy of international artists defining Austin’s visual landscape: Deborah Roberts, Daniel Johnston and Jenny Holzer. This work is on public display in downtown Austin through Spring 2025.

B. 1982 Olympia, Washington