Creativity knows no boundaries, and Mr. Viraj Ponkshe stands at its most fascinating crossroads. A global advertising veteran turned Contemporary Transformative Artist, he is the visionary behind ‘ZapinFusion’– an art form he calls “the art of self-evolution.” By blending ancient wisdom with modern expression, his work bridges East and West, past and present, offering viewers more than just visuals: an invitation to transformation. With exhibitions spanning New York to New Delhi and accolades including the 2023 International Spiritual Art Award, Mr. Viraj is redefining how art can carry energy, meaning, and mindfulness into contemporary life.
Early Influences: Art in the Genes
For Viraj Ponkshe, creativity wasn’t just a career choice; it was a family inheritance. Born to a father who balanced medical practice with painting and a mother trained at Mumbai’s prestigious JJ School of Arts, his path into the world of visual storytelling seemed inevitable. After completing a five-year course at JJ School, two years in fine arts and three in commercial art, he stepped into the high-stakes arena of advertising, crafting campaigns for brands rather than canvases.
Yet, even during his 25-year career at global ad giants, an inner voice kept asking: “When will I create something for myself—and for others’ souls, not just for the world of business?”
Commercial Art vs. Fine Art: Selling Products vs. Speaking to the Soul
Mr. Viraj distinguishes between commercial and fine art with precision. Commercial art, he explains, is strategy-driven, created for a client to market a product. Fine art, in contrast, flows from personal vision, unbound by briefs or deadlines. “Advertising is for a client; fine art is for the soul. In advertising, I energize brands. Through my art, I try to energize people. Both require empathy, storytelling, and a belief in the power of ideas to transform lives,” he says. This duality shaped his evolution, inspiring him to fuse marketing discipline with spiritual purpose.
The Birth of ‘ZapinFusion’
This desire to create something for people’s souls rather than just the marketplace crystallized in ZapinFusion, a creative philosophy blending Zen (Z), Adhyatma or spirituality (A), and Philosophy (P). He calls it “the art of self-evolution.” After decades of brand-building, he began using his skills to tell stories of the soul through canvases instead of billboards. “Am I only selling products, or am I speaking to my own soul?” he recalls asking himself. “If art can help people connect with the universe, that’s a higher calling.”
Global Journeys, Local Insights
Having lived and worked across India, Africa, the Middle East, and Canada, his artistic vision is deeply cosmopolitan. From Egypt’s ancient grandeur to Canada’s modern openness, each culture added a “seed of insight” to his creative vocabulary. These experiences inform the “fusion” at the heart of his work, blending traditional Indian spiritual symbolism with contemporary, global aesthetics.
On being asked about the international response to local ideas or art, he states: “They definitely like what they see – often finding it exotic and deeply intriguing – yet they approach it with curiosity. That’s where I step in to explain what it is. Perhaps my advertising experience helps here, since it has taught me clarity, discipline, and how to distill complex ideas into simple, powerful visuals. So, the moment you explain to them the thinking or rationale behind these fusions, it immediately sparks something positive in their minds. Their reactions are often: ‘Oh, I didn’t know that. Oh wow! I now get it.”
Spiritual Art that Resonates Worldwide
In 2023, Mr. Viraj won the Spiritual Art Award, a recognition he values on par with his earlier advertising accolades from Cannes and London Advertising Awards. This award affirmed that his art was connecting on a deeper, human level. That alignment of recognition with inner vision was deeply fulfilling. His ‘TransFusion Yantra’ series modernizes India’s sacred geometries, or “yantras” while preserving their meaning. By reinterpreting ancient instruments of positivity with contemporary elements, Mr. Viraj appeals to both traditionalists and newcomers alike. “I am not diluting or distorting yantras,” he insists. “I’m reinterpreting them by giving them a modern visual language to keep their essence alive. It’s like speaking an ancient truth in a modern language, without losing its soul.”
A glance at ‘TranceFusion Yantra’ – Art That Generates Energy
His latest series, showcased at Dacia Art Gallery (NYC), transforms the concept of ‘Yantra’ a sacred geometric symbol, into contemporary, energetic forms:
Turbo-jet Yantra: A turbocharged divine force responding to crisis.
Green Energy Yantra: Balancing karma and sustainability.
TransPlant Yantra: Cultivating abundance through resilience.
The Creative Philosophy Behind TransFusion Yantras
“Yantras, he explains, are spiritual instruments – visual tools to channel energy. Whether through a diagram on a wall or meditated upon in a sacred space, their role is to help us move forward.” In his series, traditional sacred forms meet modern symbols, resulting in paintings that are at once mystical and accessible. He recalls one artwork where the Devi rides Garuda, now fitted with aircraft propellers. “It’s about divine help arriving at double speed,” he says. “The symbolism stays intact while the expression becomes relatable.”
Balancing Corporate Discipline with Spiritual Intuition
He admits it isn’t easy to juggle commercial strategy and spiritual creativity. “In advertising, there are clients, teams, and structures. In art, there’s only your intuition,” he says. His solution is mental compartmentalization, using the structured problem-solving of advertising to organize his creative process while letting spiritual instinct guide the art itself.
On AI and the Future of Creativity
As a practicing ad man and now a spiritual artist, Mr. Viraj holds a nuanced view of artificial intelligence. “AI is a tool, use it like your hand, not your brain,” he cautions. While AI speeds up research and idea gathering, he warns against letting machines replace human emotion and insight. “A computer doesn’t have a heart. Art must come from one.”
Upcoming Series: ‘Illusionary Maya’ and ‘ The Karmic Gears’
Viraj Ponkshe is simultaneously developing two new series that extend his philosophy of self-evolution. ‘Illusionary Maya’ explores how reality can be deceptive, using surreal imagery – like fish flying in the air and birds swimming in water to challenge our assumptions about the world. “Is it really true that there’s water down there and air up here, or could it all be the other way around? Maybe it’s all an illusion. In this series, I use subtle visual paradoxes to reflect the blurred lines between reality and perception,” he explains.
Alongside this, ‘The Karmic Gears’ revolves around the idea that our lives, much like a well-oiled machine, are driven by interconnected actions and consequences. Every thought, choice, and action we take can be seen as a gear within the larger cosmic mechanism, turning and influencing other gears in a complex web of cause and effect.
ZapinFusion Beyond the Canvas
Mr. Viraj sees ZapinFusion not merely as an art style but as a lifestyle brand. With interest from global collaborators, he imagines it appearing in fashion, jewelry, mindfulness products, interior art, and spiritual spaces. “Art isn’t limited to walls,” he says. “If it brings positivity, why not wear it, carry it, or meditate with it?” This vision aligns with a growing global movement toward mindfulness and spiritual well-being.
Advice to Young Artists: Study First, Innovate Later
For aspiring creators, his guidance is clear: understand heritage before reinventing it. “Don’t modernize culture just for Instagram likes,” he warns. “Sacred geometry, whether Indian yantras or Egyptian pyramids, has deep meaning. Study it properly before you remix it.”
He sees a generational gap between tradition and trend, but also an opportunity. “If young artists can bridge this gap responsibly, they can create something truly timeless.”
Impact Measured in Energy, Not Just Aesthetics
When asked how his art is judged, he emphasizes that beauty, energy, and emotional resonance all matter. “People display my work because they believe it brings positivity,” he says. Just as Vastu or Feng shui shapes living spaces, his unique ‘ZapinFusion’ creations are designed to radiate calm and inspire personal transformation.
Where is “ZapinFusion” Heading?
He envisions ZapinFusion evolving over the next five years into a global dialogue between East and West. Whether through collaborations with brands, wellness spaces, or cultural centres, his mission is to use art as a medium for mindfulness and meaningful exchange. “People are starting to see ZapinFusion as more than a style, it’s a way of living positively,” he says.
“Art Beyond Aesthetics: Awakening Souls, Bridging Worlds”
As Viraj Ponkshe continues to evolve, so does ZapinFusion—not merely as an art form but as a philosophy of life. His canvases are more than colors and shapes; they are instruments of energy, dialogue, and transformation. By fusing heritage with innovation and intuition with discipline, he reminds us that art can do more than decorate a wall—it can awaken a soul, bridge cultures, and inspire a more mindful way of living.
By- Sonali