Song of the Soul: Bhagavad Gita Devotional Art Exhibition, Miami
About this Event
PRESENTED BY
SACRED VEDIC ARTS and CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN DIASPORA ART
One of the world's oldest spiritual texts, told through six decades of devotional paintings
Song of the Soul brings the Bhagavad-Gita to life through the devotional artwork of Her Grace Srimati Syamarani Didi.
She is an artist and spiritual teacher whose paintings have been published in books with a combined circulation of over 550 million copies, in more than 80 languages, making her one of the most widely published devotional artists in the world.
This is the first time this collection of her Bhagavad Gita paintings has been shown at this scale in a public exhibition.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The Bhagavad-Gita is a conversation between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the eve of battle.
It is a dialogue about duty, fear, identity, and how to act in a world that rarely offers clean answers.
It is one of the oldest surviving mystical and philosophical texts still read and studied today, alongside works like the Tao Te Ching and the Upanishads, and it has shaped art, philosophy, and spiritual practice across cultures for thousands of years.
Song of the Soul walks visitors through that story as a visual journey. It begins with the soul's first longing to break free from repeated cycles of struggle, through an encounter with the divine, into the intimacy of devotion. Finally, it travels into the sacred sound of kirtan, communal chanting that carries the story forward.
The exhibition also features music, photography, and multimedia installations alongside the paintings.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Her Grace Srimati Syamarani Didi (Jadurani dasi), has spent nearly six decades shaping the global landscape of devotional Indian art.
Since beginning her training under her spiritual teacher in New York City in 1966, she has created more than 300 original paintings, many of them the basis for illustrations in Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam translations that have reached millions of readers around the world.
Her work has been honored by India's highest cultural institutions. In 2020, the Indian government recognized her artistic and cultural contributions, later featuring her on his national radio program.
In 2013, the World Vaishnava Association gave her the Audarya Award for her service to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, and in 2018 she received the Humanitarian Award at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree, California, honoring over 50 years of devotional art and her work toward alleviating suffering through the teachings of Bhakti-yoga.
In 2025, her art was the subject of a presentation at Harvard Divinity School's Program for the Evolution of Spirituality, co-led by a curator from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
She is the founder of in Miami, where she mentors artists, guides spiritual seekers, and shares the culture of bhakti yoga through exhibitions, workshops, and community outreach.
WHY THIS EXHIBITION? WHY NOW? WHO IS IT FOR?
You don't need any background in Indian philosophy, art history, or spiritual practice to walk through and benefit from Song of the Soul.
The paintings are built to be encountered on their own terms, the way you'd encounter any great work of narrative art: through color, gesture, and story, before you ever get to theology.
This exhibition is for art lovers curious about devotional traditions outside their own.
It's for anyone already exploring meditation, yoga, or ancient wisdom texts, looking for something with real depth behind it.
OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION
Join us for the opening reception on Friday, September 11, from 6 to 9 pm.
The evening includes a meet and greet with the artist, a guided art talk on the stories behind the paintings, live kirtan (call-and-response mantra music), and a completely free vegan and vegetarian prasadam meal, sanctified food traditionally offered and shared as part of our Bhakti-yoga practice.
Space is limited, so RSVP is encouraged.
THE DETAILS
Song of the Soul runs September 11 through October 31 at the Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 22nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33142.
Admission is free for the opening reception and for the full run of the exhibition.
Song of the Soul is presented in partnership with CADA, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Florida International University.
ABOUT SACRED VEDIC ARTS
Song of the Soul is presented by , a Gaudiya Vaisnava spiritual and cultural community founded in 2021 by Her Grace Srimati Syamarani Didi.
Based at 137 NE 47th St, Miami, FL 33137, Sacred Vedic Arts is home to a working temple and a growing community dedicated to bhakti yoga, devotional art, and cultural education, open to visitors and newcomers year-round.
Follow along on social media at instagram.com/sacredvedicarts, facebook.com/sacredvedicarts, and youtube.com/@sacredvedicarts.
ABOUT THE CURATORS
LUDLOW BAILEY
Ludlow Bailey, a curator of culture as art, art broker, writer, and art advisor, is extremely passionate about contemporary global African Diaspora culture. He is currently Managing Director of Contemporary African Diaspora Art (CADA), a multi-media platform designed to present and promote the visual art culture of the African Diaspora.
Mr. Bailey has travelled extensively throughout the African Diaspora and is considered one of the leading experts on Contemporary African Diaspora Art. He is currently working as an art advisor with some of the most important museums, galleries, and private collections in London, New York, Paris, Chicago, Cape Town, Washington, D.C, Lagos, Accra, and the Caribbean. Mr. Bailey regularly attends many of the world’s leading art fairs and museums. He has curated 55 visual art shows in the last decade.
Mr. Bailey was educated at Brown University, Harvard University, Columbia University, The American Classical School in Rome, The University of Dakar, The University of Ghana, and the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He currently resides in Ives Estates, Miami-Dade, Florida.
MANJARI DASI
Manjari Dasi is a speaker, kirtan singer, and artist devoted to offering transformative experiences of deep connection through transcendental sound vibration. Raised in the Gaudiya Vaisnava movement introduced to the West by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, she has been a dedicated celibate monk and disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja for more than 30 years. She divides her time between India and North America, sharing the profound teachings, art, and culture of bhakti-yoga and Sanatana Dharma.
Manjari also apprenticed for over a decade under Her Grace Srimati Syamarani dasi, assisting with painting and publishing services for Gaudiya Vedanta Publications. She continues to create artwork for her guru’s books and, with his blessings, she established the Rupa-Sanatana Gaudiya Foundation to promote spiritual education, nourish spiritual communities, and support women in bhakti.
She serves the exhibition as the lead curator.
Where is it happening?
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