A Christmas-season reflection on belonging, shared spaces, and the stories that bind communities together, as Birdseye Victoria brings Santosh Mahale’s vision of home into fresh focus
There is a quiet sense of purpose in the way Santosh Mahale speaks about art. He arrived in Melbourne as an engineer who had already lived across continents, worked in boardrooms, and built a career in management consulting. Yet the stories he tells today come from a very different place. They rise from birds, old streets, worship spaces, memories of India, the rhythms of Melbourne, and a lifelong habit of seeing cities from above. His latest exhibition, Birdseye Victoria, has now opened at Montsalvat’s Barn Gallery, running from 26 November through the summer period and into early February. For visitors looking for inspiration during the Christmas break, it offers a thoughtful journey through the state he calls home, shaped by two countries, two cultures, and two creative worlds that continue to guide his practice. It is a story that begins with movement across borders and finds its voice in the places he has carried with him.
When Mahale talks about identity, he starts with migration. “Two Worlds is really the foundation of my story. India and Australia, engineering and art, migration and belonging. Though I’ve lived and travelled across many countries, it is India’s cities and my current home of Melbourne that have shaped me the most.” There is calm clarity in his acceptance of this duality. He describes these worlds as distinct yet connected, held together through colour, memory and birdsong. “Migration taught me that identity isn’t about choosing one place over another. It’s about weaving them together. My map-inspired oil paintings are simply a reflection of that. A celebration of belonging to more than one place, and of finding connection across continents, careers, and cultures.”
That link between places defines his journey as an artist. When he moved into Melbourne’s creative landscape, there was no existing network to rely on. “I’m a self-taught artist who came into the art world after two decades in management consulting, built on an engineering background. So there was virtually no overlap. No network, no roadmap, no exposure to how galleries or art ecosystems work.” What could have been a setback became a structure. “The challenge was starting from scratch and building an entire world from the ground up. But I soon realised that the analytical, problem-solving and project-planning skills from my first career became incredibly useful. They allowed me to approach art-making methodically and think like an artrepreneur from day one.”
That mix of artistic instinct and structured thinking is visible in his paintings, especially the churches that have become a recurring motif. He has painted more than thirty, spread across Melbourne, Goa, Mumbai and beyond. “I’m drawn to heritage architecture in all forms. Churches, temples, old government buildings from the gold-rush era, anything with historical craftsmanship. Architecture is art expressed through materials, design, and the cultural context of its time.” Churches, in particular, have become visual anchors. “Churches in particular often represent the dominant artistic influences of their era, and they sit at the heart of communities, whether in Melbourne, Goa, or regional India.”
For Mahale, the attachment is primarily architectural, though he acknowledges the deeper presence such structures hold within a place. “Mostly architectural, but when I’m trying to capture the essence of an entire place on a single canvas, these structures become visual anchors. Just as Notre Dame is to Paris, St Patrick’s or St Mark’s is to Melbourne, or Mount Mary is to Bandra. They help root the viewer in the identity of that place.” His interest is less about devotion and more about what these sites reveal. “It’s less about personal faith and more about capturing the confluence of spiritual beliefs that shape a place. My work is grounded in exploration, blending cartography, heritage architecture, and nature, especially birds.”
The Birdseye series grew from this instinct to express place through pattern, perspective and memory. “My subject is always the essence of a place on a single canvas. Not two, three, or twenty. That constraint forces strong choices.” His compositions weave maps, landscape elements, built forms and birds. “Choosing what to include is as much problem-solving as it is painting, and that challenge makes the process deeply exciting for me.” The idea, he says, has been with him for more than twenty years. “I’ve been painting the same subject in the same way for over two decades. It began in San Francisco, where I would paint places I travelled as souvenirs for myself. Over time the technique evolved, more detail, more depth, but the subject remained consistent.” He smiles at the simplicity of the thread that runs through it all. “Now, as a professional artist, I’m stretching the breadth and depth of what I can cover, but always through that Birdseye lens. And a big part of it is my love for birds. Every Birdseye painting has a local bird species acting as an ambassador for that place.”
Birdseye Victoria is the newest expansion of this idea. Instead of a single city, the exhibition travels across the entire state, gathering forests, coastlines, deserts, towns and skylines into one continuous story. “For the first time, I’m painting an entire state instead of a single city. Victoria is my home, and I’ve spent years travelling through its regions, absorbing the contrasts, forests, coastlines, deserts, gold-rush towns, and modern cities.” The result, he says, is a state-sized canvas of histories and habitats. “These varied landscapes and histories make Victoria a fascinating subject. Birdseye Victoria brings all of that together in one cohesive narrative.”
The exhibition introduces another creative voice, that of local artist and fellow bird enthusiast Mia Emily. Mahale calls the collaboration seamless. “Birdseye Victoria is the next chapter in my Birdseye series, and I’m very glad to collaborate with local Melbourne artist and fellow bird enthusiast Mia Emily. My works offer sweeping aerial perspectives, blending maps, topography, and birds as place ambassadors. Mia brings a grounded, intimate lens, capturing the delicate beauty and character of Victorian birds.” Together, they create a layered experience. “The show invites viewers to see Victoria as a living ecosystem where every place, and every bird, tells a story.”
Precision and freedom coexist within these compositions, though he admits that harmony is never easy. “That balance is the art. It’s the core problem I’m solving, how to bring a place to life with enough structure to ground it and enough freedom to let it breathe. The balance becomes the subject itself.”
Exhibiting at Montsalvat is a milestone he speaks of with genuine warmth. “It’s an honour, and I’m hoping to shift my studio there for the two months of the exhibition. Montsalvat embodies the artistic spirit of Victoria, a sanctuary for makers, thinkers, and dreamers for nearly a century. The idea of painting in that historic, creative environment while preparing for my 2026 shows is incredibly energising.”
When asked about the art scenes he has moved through, he is careful and honest. “I can’t truly compare because I didn’t grow up in the formal Indian art world. But what I’ve seen in my last few years as a professional artist is that every market has its own strengths and challenges. Australia offers clarity, structure, and strong support through public galleries and councils.” He has seen a shift in the way multicultural artists are welcomed. “Absolutely. From local councils to national platforms, there is strong support for diverse artists. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve received so far and excited to take my work to major cities and regional centres across Australia.”
His studio routine reveals a person who works with discipline as much as imagination. “Nothing is typical in the art world. Luckily, my consulting background prepared me for uncertainty, tight timelines, and intense workloads. The common thread is the enormous amount of work required, and the joy I get from pouring myself into it. In terms of routine I am generally a very early riser and try to finish most of my creative activities in the first half of the day.” The energy he brings comes from curiosity. “There’s always a story waiting to be uncovered, and my subject, landscapes, heritage, maps, birds, naturally invites exploration. That keeps me moving forward.”
Music and sound become tools in his process. “A mix. I listen to podcasts during long hours alone. And music, often of the place I’m painting, helps me immerse myself. When I painted Kolkata, for example, Rabindra Sangeet was playing on loop.”
He resists naming influences, choosing respect over lists. “People expect a list, but my honest answer is that I draw inspiration from every artist who has managed to build a sustainable practice. It’s a very hard profession. Anyone who has cracked it becomes an inspiration and influence.” Travel has shaped him just as deeply. “Too many. I’ve travelled to over fifty countries and lived in more than six. I see myself as a global citizen now, shaped by cultures, landscapes, and experiences across continents. Each place adds a new layer.”
The future is already mapped out, and he speaks of it with quiet excitement. “Next is Birdseye San Francisco, coming in March 2026, returning to the city where my artistic journey began, even when art was just a side hobby. The inspiration has remained the same; the scale and ambition have evolved.”
His final reflection brings together the path he has taken and the places that have shaped him. “Every place has a story waiting to be told. All it requires is curiosity to ask, humbleness to learn, and generosity to share that knowledge for the collective good. If my paintings spark that sense of connection and discovery, then they’ve done their job.”
For those visiting Montsalvat between now and February, Birdseye Victoria is a chance to slow down, explore the state through an artist’s eye, and enjoy a moment of quiet discovery during the holiday season. It is an exhibition rooted in belonging, carried by birds and places, and shared with the generosity of someone who has lived across worlds yet remains firmly grounded in both.
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