Sonal Ambani: Crossing Cultural Barriers through Impactful Art

When examining the art market, it is important to understand that the foundation exists with the coexistence of creativity and commerce. It is a value system as much about aesthetics and impact as it is about status, scarcity, and investment.  One of the key components that define the art market are the artists themselves as their reputation, style, use of material and influence all affect the valuation of their work which drives the supply and demand of the market. There are pivotal artists whose work add value to society and shape social influence across cultural barriers. Sonal Ambani has become one of today’s leading female artists because of where her work is being recognized and what her art represents.

Her sculptures cross cultural barriers for their intellectual and emotional depth that allow for true reflection into societal issues. They merge sleek raw steel or bronze with emotional resonance that create conceptual art leading to the very introspective balance of philosophical ideas that explore the interplay of themes including technology and emotion, reflections on grief and loss, climate change, economic disparity, unity along with resilience and the role of women in contemporary society.

Originally from New York City, Sonal was not only surrounded by New York City’s cultural network but raised the ranks in the investment banking world to become a top leader. With a PHD in business management and a member of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Ambani has a keen aptitude for corporate industry. She moved to India after meeting her husband Vimal Ambani at an Indian Wedding and found herself drawn toward the passion to create. She started with life size steel elephants and other animals. She was approached to start exhibiting her work at the Indian Art Fair and in 2018 her notable stainless steel elephant sculpture, “The March of Time”, was selected for the Elephant Parade in India. This event was part of the Elephant Family charity campaign which was founded by Mark Shand, Queen Camilla Parker Bowles brother, with the mission to save the Asian Elephant. Her elephant was selected to be exhibited with 101 other artists’ elephants in Bombay and then went on to be selected as one of the top ten shown at auction in London. The “March of Time” ended up selling as the highest priced sculpture at the auction which resulted in a wonderful gift to the charity.

Fueled by her desire to create, Sonal forged on with an aspiration to share her voice. She understood she needed to start to represent universal themes through her work.

“When my father was dying, he told me I was capable of so much more – it drove me to create art with a message and for me- my parents will always be my inspiration to do better, think bigger, and think out of the box. My parents have been my inspiration.” Having lost both of her parents, her mother to ovarian cancer, and understanding that her father’s last words were for her to reach for the stars, Sonal forged ahead creating works that would leave an impact on the global stage.

Sonal created works like “Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune” which was exhibited at the 2024 Venice Biennale at the European Culture Center. To exhibit in Venice during the Biennale is considered one of the pinnacles of exhibiting in the art world. This stainless-steel bull evokes the iconic symbol of financial strength and masculinity seen in the financial world however, Ambani boldly inverts the sculpture, challenging its traditional meaning.  “Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune” is a striking commentary on the gender pay gap, symbolising the systemic undervaluation of women’s labour. At its center is a stainless- steel bull, emblazoned with world currencies, charging toward a circular target, embodying the patriarchal forces that sustain male dominance.

Red arrows pierce the bull’s body, representing progress and resistance led by those challenging systemic bias. This is a direct message that the global economy has many inequalities such as the gender pay gap and harkens back to her primary theme. The circular target symbolises unity and the ongoing pursuit of gender equality.

More than a sculpture, this installation is a call to action, honouring the work of Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin and affirming the collective fight for a fairer, more inclusive world. Having created work that addresses the very role of women and gender inequality is so important and impactful because for so long, even in the art community, women were often overlooked.

The right to vote for women in India came at Independence in 1947, Italy in 1945, Qatar in 1999 – seen late in other countries as well. In Saudia Arabia women just got the right to vote in 2015.

“Women are now speaking up around the world for equality, for equal pay, for equal work. For every dollar earned a woman makes 69 cents. There is always a glass ceiling- even for equal pay. Even in sports there is a lack of equality in pay scale,” said Ambani.

Ambani is currently working on her new 20-foot-tall stainless-steel pyramid called “The Summit Of Women’s Voices”. Viewers will be invited to walk through the four doorways, each representing a different stage or challenge in a woman’s journey through life.  The pyramid will stand as a symbol of women’s resilience and strength with words like “mother”, “leader”, “survivor”, and “creator” visible and invisible to the viewer through the interplay of light depending on the interactive stance of the viewer located within the structure. This serves as a reminder that the female voice is often silenced or heard throughout history and continues Ambani’s activism for female empowerment. Within the structure will be 108 hanging cards, each bearing a story, a portrait and a quote from a woman around the world. These narratives, gathered from interviews of women with different professions, cultures and struggles will reveal the ongoing battles of being a woman today. This installation will constantly evolve as visitors are encouraged to add their own thoughts on blank cards and pens provided. Her new and upcoming work, “The Summit of Women’s Voices”, will soon serve as an interactive sculpture transcending regions and cultures to archive the female voice for all.

Ambani’s work transcends traditional sculpture because it pushes boundaries with its ability to give a fluid personification of humanity to steel using social discourse as an agent of change. Always addressing a theme, her 2022 work “Riderless World”, addresses themes of loss and technology. Understanding loss, having lost both her parents, Ambani created “Riderless World” taking sculpture to a new level with its use of technology. Also exhibited at the European Culture Center during the Venice Biennale, it is an emotional and visual installation created in response to the Covid -19 pandemic. The work is a bronze horse purposefully broken with its tail and abdomen placed on pedestals. Flowers and candles fill the hollow space as an homage to those lost. Behind the sculpture is a scrolling list of the names lost due to the pandemic. This list of names from all countries is updated through an online portal and is easily accessible even now to all at www.riderlessworld.com

“With Riderless World I tried to bring humanity back from the statistics of 2000 people died one day then 5000 the next. These deaths were people we all knew, they were friends, they were family. These names exhibited behind the horse show first name, last name, age, profession, city and the country where the person who died is from. This work is a way to honor loss,” said Ambani

The sculpture is a living memorial and a shared space that transcends national barriers bringing individuals from all cultures to gather in a shared experience for remembrance. This work combines traditional sculpture with the digital age, a forward-thinking approach to art.

“Everything I do is manual- the welding, polishing and buffing etc. With the advent of technology leaning toward AI, the art world will dramatically change. Right now, technology can’t express emotion which is pivotal in art, but in the future it might learn,” said Ambani.

Understanding loss not only from the pandemic but from her mother’s battle with ovarian cancer, led Ambani to be the founder of the “Cancer Screening & Research Trust” whose focus is to promote early cancer detection. As a fundraiser for cancer awareness she has authored two coffee table books, “Mothers and Daughters” launched in 2004 at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and “Fathers and Sons”. To promote the detection of cancer early she produced two television commercials on national Indian television channels with a combined viewership of over 300 million individuals. The awareness campaign won the Advertising Association of India Award for best commercial for a non-profit organization.

Continuing her commitment to cancer awareness, Ambani has used her passion for art in conjunction with fashion to create the “Happiness Series”, her handbag collection using sustainable materials. Each handbag is carefully created with custom effervescent colors and craftsmanship to methodically embody individuality. Ambani hopes each ornate bag featuring detailed motifs and steel remind women to embrace self-care as a necessity. According to Ambani, the collection is deeply personal and she hopes each handbag can serve as a reminder to women that health and happiness matter. With each handbag comes a personalized note reminding women to stay diligent about their annual check-ups. Ambani’s empathetic disposition and in-depth connection to the emotion of compassion transcends her commitment to sculpture and allows her to combine fashion with activism to evolve her artistry into personalized wearable art.

Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, Harper’s Bazaar and Art India Magazine. She has won numerous awards including the Motwani Jadeja Art Prize (MJF Art Prize) in 2024, South Asia’s largest art award, and the 2019 Times of India Women Power Award for Art and Sculpture.

She has taken the art market and art fairs by storm exhibiting at the Indian Art Fair, Ahmedabad Art E-Fair, Art Bahrain Across Borders, Venice Biennale, and the Dubai International Financial Center.

“You have to have your art shown globally so it can speak for issues that are relevant to our time. As artists, we must approach these opportunities to show globally and thoughtfully choose fairs that truly align with our artistic vision and values. I feel my art is very relevant to issues such as women’s equal rights and pay, the environment and more. Art is here for future generations.,” said Sonal Ambani.

All of Ambani’s sculptures bring life and humanity into art. Her gift of using steel for storytelling invites the viewer, through its mirrored effect, both literally and metaphorical to experience true introspection. Her ability to make us stop, reflect and think is accomplished and therefore this makes her a very successful and brilliant artist. Art is about creating an impact and Ambani’s work gives the viewer an emotional and intellectual perspective. Her devotion to being a catalyst for change gives her a voice on a global stage addressing personal concerns, political, environmental and socio-economic themes of conceptual depth relating to equality, loss, technology and more. This is what solidifies her as one of the new leading contemporary female artists with a powerful voice in the art world.

“I want my legacy to be one of emotional connection, resilience and transformation. Through my sculptures, I hope to create timeless forms that speak to the human spirit, symbols that inspire compassion, provoke reflection, and mirror the complexities of our time. I aim to contribute to meaningful conversations around life, love and our shared humanity. More than being remembered for the work themselves, I hope to be remembered for the emotions they stirred, the causes they supported, and the lives they quietly touched,” said Ambani.