
Artists
Abhijit A Paul was born in Kolkata West Bengal in India. He completed his Graduation and Post Graduation in Visual Arts from M.S.University, Vadodara, 2008. An awardee of the Inlaks Scholarship, and he also achieved a second post-graduate diploma in Educational Technology, from IGNOU. He is a practising artist and simultaneously has been working as filmmaker for the last 10 years
In her work Amrita represents interconnections between different shades of colour, ‘pixels of her memories’, using colour to denote the emotions attached to her experiences.
“For the (BRIDGE2WORLDS) exhibition I used my signature style which involved layering with colour and creating a collage.
In Amritam’s work he focuses on popular culture drawing on the varied motifs, which have been
imprinted on his mind and drawn to represent different types of culture, particularly the images,
logos, symbols which are visually prevalent. His process is manual and iterative, using acrylic
Anand’s signature style is focused on figurative works where he depicts human interaction where subversive power is conveyed to show how ‘the innocent’ are manipulated, controlled or dominated by others. He depicts his characters using bold, acrylic colours and enjoys pen and ink work combining drawing with splashes of transparent water colour.
His work explores different levels of reality; the world, which is material and socially
constructed, juxtaposed with the transcendental world. He draws his inspiration from the paintings of the Far-East which are infused with mystical tones and the miniature paintings of India. The artist is someone who seeks paradise and journeys within to find it and in doing so expresses our innermost desires and yearning for the truth.
His artwork is sensitive to his surroundings and often reflects social, emotional, and existential issues faced by people. His work is primarily figurative and stems from his roots in theatre. He depicts subjects ranging from mundane to personal difficulties faced by himself and others, including the hardships faced by daily wage labours.
In his work Bhupendra typically tries to separate the forms from their meaning or identity. His main focus is the white space that is left in between shapes and forms. He experiments on the canvas to give birth to new forms and design in an emergent and spontaneous way.
“As a freelance artist I started participating many exhibitions- locals to international level. I participated in three solo shows in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. I usually work on my own experience (direct or indirect), feelings whatever touches my heart and my soul.
“My present work titled “Realization” is a semi-realistic form work representing an innate human desire to seek peace and freedom in life. Art speaks for itself where it is not requisite to make any written statement on the art produced because the artistic mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty cannot be realized and expressed in words rather it is a matter of perception, imagination, and emotions.”
Dr Sarkar graduated in Visual Arts from Govt. College of Art and Craft, Agartala, Tripura.
Dr. M.S. Amarnath has been painting for 35 years in various mediums and is particularly drawn to using the Abstract form of painting; “because it gives me tremendous freedom and pleasure. I also focus on the equilibrium of form, colour, and space. Innovation and experimentation are the main driving forces of my work. I constantly look for new combinations and new imagery in my work.”
Harshada has a natural inclination towards portraiture. Her paintings convey subtle reflections and a range of emotions denoting spirituality, devotion, love, joy, affection, and intimacy in her works.
Jagmohan Bangani is a fulltime visual artist from Uttrakhand who currently lives and works in Delhi. He was awarded his Masters degree (Painting) from Winchester School of Art, UK. He is a recipient of Ford Foundation Fellowship (New York). To date, he has done five solo shows and his works are exhibited in a number of major group art exhibitions in India and abroad.
Kashyap Parikh attempts to appreciate the physical and metaphysical states of reality, processing these aspects into his own art-language. The artist seizes space, time, and motion in his canvases, reminding the viewer of early twentieth century ‘Futurist movement’ and its protagonists. He understands well that he needs to take his own time, experience, and experimentations to achieve the desired ends, as he tries to grasp the intricacies of the world which surrounds him.
“This work is inspired by the promotional poster of the film ‘Baarish,’ an Indian film starring two of India’s finest actors. An ode to the classical feminine aesthetic of the quintessential Indian actress, this painting is a portrait of the Indian actress Nutan, playing the role of Chanda, and is painted in acrylic on canvas”.
Meghna’s work focuses on extinct and endangered bird species. “My dreams are that all birds fly freely and fearless in nature and in the presence of human beings. Humans have a huge impact on in wild life extinction; human ignorance and greed means that many species are in danger of extinction. Human consumption and love of luxury is such that it impacts adversely on the environment and other living species. I feel all beings on this earth should coexist in harmony.
Radha Sharma is a textile designer who likes to work with fabric in multiple ways, using embroidery, weaving, mural, tapestry, macrame, tie and dye etc. She experiments with new mediums and techniques and is particularly fond of working with bright colours.
“My paintings are mainly based on my personal experiences and reflections. All my works relate to what happens in my surroundings where I have tried to express my thoughts through a realistic approach. I mainly do figurative works in public gatherings which is a collage of different times and situations depicted on canvas. Sometimes I relate these works to myself, and sometimes to someone unknown or to historical images which are personally relevant.”
As a student of Portraiture, it became evident for her that the entire body serves to narrate experiences and expressions of existence. Her works are figurative representations of herself and the people she has encountered. She cites “. My works are personal observations concerned with identity formation and crisis. Identities are formed as a result of past experiences and memories. They shape who we are and the identity or roles we play. These roles keep changing and evolving with time as does our identity.
Pisurwo Jitendra Suralkar, also known as Pisurwo, is a visual artist from Mumbai, Maharashtra. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2001 at Saptaput Lalit Kala Mahavidyalaya, Jalgaon and a Diploma in Art Education in 2011 from Kavayitri Bahinabai Chaudhari North Maharashtra University. Jitendra describes his practice as: “Painting is as breathing, drawing is as living, and art is a way of being for me.”
Radha Binod Sharma was born in Kamalpur, Tripura, India in 1964. His mother a well-known Indian classical Manipuri dancer cultivated his interest in art from an early age. As a young child he witnessed the 1971 Pakistan/Bangladesh war and grew up with the victims and refugees which radically changed the social, economic, political, and cultural landscape. As a result, his earlier paintings focused on ‘life on the edge’ and the struggles of humans which has been a constant theme throughout his work to the present.
In 1992 Ratan Krishna Saha achieved his post-graduation qualification in sculpture from the Fine Arts Faculty, Baroda. After his education he travelled widely looking for an opportunity to establish himself as a sculptor. For him the figure of the bull was not just decorative or the representations of the ‘male power’ (as bulls in art often do), they are the lost self of the migrant in the big city, raring to go but tamed by the environment.
Ruma’s work is comprised of abstract, semi abstract and landscape subjects, drawn from nature, the urban environment, and her imagination. She creates subtle dreamscapes and images through the language of oil painting, allowing the viewer to immerse themselves in the paintings.
Sanatan was born and brought up in a remote Bengal village and finds himself deeply rooted and inspired by his rural background.
“In my painting Bollywood theme is used to symbolise the fact that Indian film
production challenges cultural harmony and Bollywood profoundly impacts the Indian youth not only because of the movie scenes but the influence of role models such as the actors on their lives. My canvas seeks to convey this influence in a variety of ways.”
“If you look at my paintings, you can see that when the colours are rolling on the canvas, many lines are formed through which a break is created in the ground or surface of the canvas. This break or crack is very important in my paintings because the lines speak of fragmentation and symbolically this is a feeling I want to convey of my experience in urban life.
Sarveshjee is a self-taught artist who generally work on the subjects, symbols, and characters drawn from Indian mythology. ” Painting for me is an expression of the underlying belief in my subjects I draw inspiration not only from varied scholastic or artistic pretensions, but faith.”
Savita is an established and acknowledged abstract artist, who believes in creativity as an essential part of her life and also as a journey of connecting deeply with herself, “ Nature is my inspiration on my artistic path. I like working and experimenting with natural colours and textures, shapes, and forms. I feel that painting is not just a visual communication, but a silent poetry. I love to experiment with different colour mediums like acrylic, watercolours, oil, and mixed media “
Shailesh is a multi-awarded artist having achieved 55 awards at state, national and international level. His work has also been featured at the Osian’s Auction House (x 3) and twice at Rosebery’s Auction House in the U.K.
“During my teenage years I was highly impacted by the Indian movies, songs, and actors. I also noticed the influence on the people around me. In particular, folks were drawn to the hero or heroine’s fashion style and adopted their haircut, makeup, and attire. As a result, I have seen ‘Bachhan haircut’, or ‘Mithun haircut’ being copied by those around me.
Soumitra is a full-time artist residing in Kolkata and Santiniketan.
For BRIDGE2WORLDS, he cites,” My works entitled ‘Bollywood Frame I and II’ try to depict the romantic elements of light and colour along with various emotional undertones. There is also an aspect of fantasy against an ambiguous architectural background.
“For the exhibition ‘BRIDGE2WORLDS’ I have depicted the different periods of Bollywood cinema. Cinema conveys the life and struggle of Indian people so I chose a few characters from working class/deprived backgrounds portrayed by different film stars like Amitabh Bachhan, Hritik Roshan, as well as depicting the common public. In the background and for contrast I have referenced the ‘Black and White’ era of cinemas and the wealthy higher classes of Indian society.
Sweeta Rai was raised in the cultural capital of India, Varanasi.
Sweeta’s work is essentially autobiographical as one can discern the reminiscences of her childhood as well as her everyday experiences.
“For myself the movies’ conjure up images of song and dance. In my artwork the
emphasis is on’ rhythm’ which is conveyed through the gestures and postures of the dancing figures. The overlapping shapes suggest the amalgamation of various Indian classical dances, freestyle, ballroom and moonwalk. The reference to numbers ‘56’ and ‘75’ represents the colourful multicultural Commonwealth theme and the years of Indian Independence respectively.”
“Born in London, I have been continuously inspired by the variety of life. How different one person is from the next and how rich and beautiful the variables can be.
As an artist, Zakir Husain Tanha, strives to create works that reflect the complexities of contemporary society, addressing social, environmental, and political issues with thoughtfulness and depth.