Mekhala Bhal was born in the year 1980 She started her formal training by pursuing a Bachelor in Fine Arts (Painting) from the College of Art, Delhi but transferred midway to the Rhodes School of Design In the year 1999, she did a brief summer course in Printmaking and Experimental works on paper from the Pont Aven School of Art in Brittany, France During her education at the Rhode School of Design she did a Printmaking and Art History Study program from Palazzo Cenci, Rome and another study abroad program in Japan She finally graduated from the Rhode School of Design in the year 2003 She returned to India after her graduation to continue with her own art practice While still studying in the USA, she had her first solo exhibition at the Benson Hall Gallery, Rhode Island in 2002 In the year 2005, she was the artist in residence at the International School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture, Montecastello, Italy In 2007 she did two brief residencies: one with the School of Visual Arts, New York and another with the Indo-French Residency programme Mekhala Bahl received the G W Hodge Ritchie Award for excellence in Printmaking in 2002 She was also awarded the Student of the Year award by the Rhode School of Design in the year 2003 Mekhala has never been restricted to a single technique or medium like glass, wood, silk, paper and so on Her works are generally colourful abstracts filled with various shapes which seem akin to doodles but are executed with a certain mastery The artist currently lives and works in New Delhi