Viswanathan Anand’s Son Akhil Is Bringing Maths And Nature Into His Artwork

Akhil Anand, son of legendary chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, is carving out a unique identity—one that’s not built on 64 squares, but on shapes, patterns, and nature. At just 14, Akhil’s artistic expression blends the logic of mathematics with the elegance of wildlife, tribal art and the richness of Indian aesthetics. His artwork features binary-coloured animals, geometric symmetry, intricate details and his own seeking. Inspired by his father’s focus, patience, and analytical mindset, he shares how lessons from the chessboard have quietly guided his own creative journey.

We chat with the young and talented artist on finding a semblance in numbers, maths and mythology.

ELLE: Hi Akil, do share about 'Morphogenesis' - what does it mean and what inspired this exhibition?

AA: I am very intrigued by Alan Turing's work. That he was so important in the second world war but never won any prize. When I started seeing the stripes of a zebra , I realised that they are called Turing Patterns. Morphogenesis is his discovery based on chemical reaction diffusion that explains patterns in nature, even the condition called Vitiligo on which also I have done a painting. So, lot of the protagonists of my paintings are animals that have morphogenesis.

ELLE: How do mathematics, mythology, and nature find confluence in your work? What sparked this interdisciplinary exploration?

AA: Once, during the pandemic, I heard this word Fibonacci, and I asked my parents. They mentioned it was a very natural sequence. I started reading about it and I learnt that it was everywhere, the branches of a tree, the pinecone, rabbits that are born ... even our body, cyclones etc. I soon realised that many Indian sweets like jalebi also have similar patterns. So, I started exploring this in art. When I looked at Raja Ravi Verma’s painting about the Gajendra Moksha in a relative's house, I saw so many math patterns like the golden spiral or the aperiodic tiling seen in the crocodile. Even a mystic creature like the navakunjara , has patterns or tesellations. This made me think more about using it in my exhibition.

ELLE: Can you walk us through a specific piece in the exhibition that holds deep personal meaning for you.

AA: I love all my paintings, I love to look at the animals and imagine their habitat and if they would like my painting. My special work is called Animal Superheroes. It's a series of animals that have been endangered but then become famous because of The animals. For e.g. Moo Deng the pygmy hippo in the Bangkok Zoo or Tajiri the giraffe or Romulus, the Dire wolf. I really love this series. Apart from that my series UnBinary is central to my exhibition, where I have used a Piet Mondrian inspiration to create a colour palette of binary-coloured animals (some chess influence!) against a burst of colour. I find the geometry of the shapes interesting, and the binary-coloured animals all stand out. I have added lotuses to give a touch of flow, moreover I love to paint lotus.

ELLE: Does visual storytelling matter—how does it feature in your art, and how do you balance narrative with pattern and form?

AA: When I went to Pingla village, Suvarna Chitrakar, a Kalighat artist, explained her work with music and I really enjoyed it. Especially she sang the story of Rabindranath Tagore and I really liked the song. So, I like that my paintings also tell a story. For example, I have this series 'Terrific Tiger'. In that I have shown how cubs recognise their parents because of the patterns. I saw it on David Attenborough's documentary. So, when I showed it in my painting the tiger looks like its fighting with the cub, to me it looked like the cub is getting ready to school and the mother is trying to get it ready .... In my painting 'Turing Rat Race', I borrowed from Dr. Seuss, Cat in a hat to show life is a rat race. I don’t know how I balance, but I like to feel happy when I see my art and when I am drawing or mixing the colours. I hope the person who sees it will also feel my happiness or emotion.

ELLE: Akhilisms beautifully bridges heritage art with contemporary design. How did the idea begin, and what keeps it evolving?

AA: I was very lucky to learn many Indian art forms. I really liked the forms of animals especially the cow in different styles. I realised that I could maybe sell them as giftables and I started with some carnivals in my neighbourhood. Then Hastha saw my work and asked if we could make block prints together. I was very happy that my work was accepted. It also makes me think about Indian motifs and how I can work on different forms. I really enjoy the colours and forms in Indian art and it comes very naturally. I think it is very cool.

ELLE: You've trained since childhood under artist Diana Satish to immerse yourself in art forms like Gond, Pichwai, Warli, Kalighat, and more—learning directly from local artisans. Do you feel they are under-represented on the cultural scene today?

AA: Thanks to Diana Aunty I first saw how Indian art works. I follow many artists like Venkatshyam who do such lovely Gond patterns. They look so simple, but so complex to draw, especially the lines and details. I have done a Khobar work for my exhibition. The details were so difficult to finish. I would like to work more on using Indian art to get more awareness. I also feel that Indian art represents bio diversity. So, when you see Gond art, it represents Madhya Pradesh, its flora and fauna. So, we can use to teach about climate change too.

ELLE: Was there a particular moment during your travels or interactions with artisans that profoundly impacted your practice?

AA: I was learning Gond art from an artist online. Many times, the electricity would go, and they would put a lamp and still teach with very poor network. I felt how difficult it must be for them, we learn so easily and we frame our work, whereas for them the whole family including the children work on the art. When I saw the Pingla village, I saw it is an artist cluster and to keep the tradition is so difficult, they said no Indian has ever visited that village, usually only foreigners come.

ELLE: Being the son of a globally-celebrated figure like Viswanathan Anand, what are some of the learnings from your father that have made an impact on you?

AA: Appa always tells me to enjoy what I do and if you fail or make a mistake, just hold your breath and start again. I like having Appa with me as many times when I feel I am finding something difficult he always sits with me; he likes to listen to my music or watch my movies too. But we don't have the same crushes.

ELLE: Today, can art make for a powerful medium of narrating a message/ thought?

When I learnt about the constitution in school, I read how promotion of Indian art was mentioned in the directives of state policy, Gandhian principles and I was very motivated to actually practise it. Art can make us think about so many things. When I saw the Guernica by Picasso, I was so moved, the horse's mouth in that stayed in my mind. How suffering was shown so well. Picasso had done other paintings about wars too, but the Guernica was very special. When I learnt about the history of the painting it was very impactful.

ELLE: What do you hope audiences take away from Morphogenesis?

AA: I hope people enjoy my art and my thought process. I hope they will also buy it. But more importantly appreciate patterns in nature and respect it. Remember even a plate of gulab jamuns is a pattern.

ELLE: What's next for you as an artist?

AA: I have not thought about it too much. But I have an idea to work on tactile art.

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