HIMANSHU KANSAL
Best known by his artist name, Luv, Himanshu Kansal is a graphic designer at Hear A Million and Freedom to Sign. His artwork is influenced by his experience with the deaf community, historical monuments, nature and art exhibitions.
Himanshu is an awardee for the National Award for Creative Work, awarded by the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu (2023). He is also awarded for excellence in service by the Hon’ble Governor, Haryana (2022), and the Ravi Narang Award for best innovative paper on the Indian Sign Language (ISL) textbook, New Delhi (2023).
He draws on his extensive experience in the form of comical caricatures and illustrations, developing his characters and individuals. He has illustrated Indian Sign language textbooks, handbooks, and artworks for many Deafness related events. This is his second exhibition with Freedom to Sign.
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AKANKSHA KAMBLE
Finding quiet strength in transforming her grief into strength and visionary artworks, Akanksha has a deep love for history and culture. Hailing from Thane, she started as a painter influenced by traditional Indian art forms, reflecting it in her exhibitions and research, where she brings together art, accessibility, and human connection.
Working with MAP (Museum of Art and Photography) and NGMA (National Gallery of Modern Art) gave her hands-on experience, while her training at the International Summer School in Curatorial Studies, Venice (2025), broadened her vision on global practices of exhibition-making. Recognized with the Global Ability Photography Award (2023) and featured in NDTV, The Times of India, and NPR, Akanksha has also been celebrated as India’s first Deaf woman curator.
For her, art is more than a profession — it is a way to heal, to remember, and to create belonging. Through her curatorial work, she aspires to build spaces that are accessible, inclusive, and filled with connection.
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HARDEEP SINGH
An artist and multimedia designer, Hardeep currently works as an Inclusion Coordinator and designer at the Museum of Art & Photography, perhaps for the first time, as a deaf artist in Museum Spaces.
Hardeep comes from a family of Deaf Artists, especially his father and grandmother. They have influenced Hardeep’s love for the arts, music, lyrics, and visual media. One of his original creations was featured in a plate collection by The Plated Project (2022). He had a special appearance signing an original poem of his in the first instance in an Indian Film Directed by Niharika Popli, “If I Could Tell You” (2024).
For Hardeep, Art gives him a unique way to express his creativity. He wishes his art to emote the experiences of Deaf People and the challenges faced due to language barriers. In his free time, Hardeep loves to dabble in Rap music and lyrics and poetry, and is featured in various video releases of music label IncInk.
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SRIVATSAN SANKARAN
An avid traveller, Srivatsan’s impressive portfolio primarily features travelogues that capture the essence of his adventures.
Recognized as the Travel Photographer of the Year in 2017 by the Indian Photography Association. Among his recent achievements are being honored as a Changemaker by the WHO in Geneva in 2023 and receiving the National Award in Photography from the Ministry of Culture, India, in 2024.In 2024, he received a grant from the US Consulate in Chennai to support his work.
He was also featured by Apple, and serves as a brand ambassador for Sony Alpha Cameras and Vivo Mobile. As the founder of Madras Photo Bloggers, Srivatsan has trained more than 50 Deaf aspiring photographers, helping them hone their skills and either launch a photography career or pursue it as a passionate hobby.
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ASHWIN BABU
Ashwin’s straightforward approach towards videography comes from retro trends and old black-and-white movies. Ashwin derives his inspiration from films starring Charlie Chaplin, which have a particular influence on his photos and videos.
He was awarded the first position in the Global Ability Photography Challenge (2022) initiated by Youth4Jobs. Having created a buzz in social media trending reels, Ashwin considers Dr Alim Chandani and Bilal Chinoy his inspirations, who push him to keep experimenting with his work.
He aspires to become a filmmaker to convey the importance of Sign Language and its impact on the Deaf community. Leaving no stone unturned, Ashwin wishes to advocate for Equal Opportunities in the art space through his works.
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VIVEK KUMAR
An experienced artist with a BFA and MFA in sculpture from BHU, Vivek is a freelance artist and has received many awards, remarkably, exhibiting his work in many art exhibitions hosted by Banaras Hindu University (2011) and Jehangir Art Gallery (2012, 2019). His notable achievement is the National Academy Award by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2018). Notably, the most experienced fine arts artist in this exhibition, his work “Essence of my life” is a significant piece of work; his experience of the seen world, felt emotions, and defining his existence beyond silence.
A firm believer in the arts as a medium of expressing emotions of love, grief, rage, and loneliness, Vivek expresses distinct language through visual elements, such as touching on hearing, silence, and the need for communication. Individual challenges and a passion for transformative beauty propel him to create art that gives a voice to those who might not otherwise be seen.
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SHREYA GUPTA
A Thane-born artist, Shreya was passionate about the visual medium and expressed her creative energy through the canvas. With her training in different art schools such as Thane School of Arts, SNDT University and JJ School of Arts, she has been part of exhibitions and public mural paintings. Having worked for Atypical Advantage and Tata Power, she chose to pursue her career in the arts.
She has a clientele spanning India, the US and Mauritius because of the distinctive form of artwork and technique she uses. She is trained in various drawing styles such as landscaping, wall painting, and pen and ink. This will be the first time she will be exhibiting with Freedom to Sign, with running themes on her deafness, individuality, colors.
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