Presented by The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation
18 - June 7, 2026
H-E-B Gallery
Reception Saturday, May 9th | 5-7PM
Janvi Mahmtura Folmsbee - Sculptor/ Painter
Indian-born artist Janavi settled her roots in the beautifully diverse city of Houston, Texas, in 2012. She has moved between countries and cities to find her own space in this world and to hunt for the universal and global connection amongst us. After crossing continents, this hunt has propelled her to continue her search in an element that physically connects us all – water. She is strongly influenced by marine life, drawing abundant inspiration from her experiences with scuba diving expeditions and with the ocean itself. She is overloaded with ideas; she brings them to life by working in multiple series at the same time.
In her work, Janavi creates ethereal, intricate shapes, which she calls characters, that are meant to invite the public into something very private. Her paintings intend to take the viewer into the work’s moment of origin. She captures various forms of the marine world through a linear progression, color, and a visual take on abstract and representational painting. These characters she conceptually conceives of life in their own world and space, but somehow also exist in ours. Typically, a collection of four or five of her works is installed together to tell a story, transforming the space into her version of ‘Davy Jones’ Locker,’ an unreal world for the viewer to be injected into.
This year, she has become actively more involved in the marine community by working with conservation organizations such as the Galveston Bay Foundation and Plastic Tides, with the hope of creating awareness about the struggles faced by the marine world. The works allow the viewer to better understand the hardships of our oceans and the majestic creatures it holds. She has faith that with art, awareness, and beauty we as humans are capable of doing much more for our oceans and our environment.
Janavi wants to live in a world where we can close our eyes and make all the plastic in the ocean disappear. She was born in 1987 and raised in Mumbai, India. In 2005, she moved to the United States of America to study at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (S.A.I.C). As an artist, she has shown her work in India, Beijing, Europe, Dubai, and the U.S.A. Her works have been featured in international fairs like Kunst Rai and Art Rotterdam and in print media such as Harper’s Bazaar (Malaysia edition), The Times of India, the Houston Chronicle, and Houston Modern Luxury.
When Janavi is not in her studio creating new work or off on a scuba diving adventure in an exciting location like the Maldives, Belize, or Turks and Caicos, she’s visiting The Cy Twombly Museum in Houston, swimming, or writing fictional stories.
She currently works and lives in Houston. Lately, she has been acting more involved in the world of marine conservation and has been tying up her artwork with different conservational organizations such as the Coral Restoration Foundation. At the moment, her current work continues to grow and evolve into different series related to marine conservation.
Find out more about her work by visiting her Janavi’s website at www.janavimfolmsbee.com.