Radha Binod Sharma
Founder I Curator
As the IMA founder and Curator, Radha Binod Sharma has over 30-year track record as a contemporary artist who has exhibited in numerous group and solo shows across the globe. A multi-awarded artist he has received numerous international and national awards, including the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation award, the Charles Wallace award and the Delfina Foundation awards.
His own cultural roots stem from the remote North-east states in India, namely Manipur and Tripura. His early life led him to observe “life on the edge” the daily struggles of people to survive under crippling living conditions. In 1971, as a child he was also exposed to “Muktijuddho, the Independence War” of Bangladesh which had a profound effect on him as an artist. Despite the trauma and hardship that he endured he was encouraged by his parents to pursue his love of painting; in particular by his mother who was a well-established and pioneering Manipuri classical dancer. He gained admission to India's foremost university Santiniketan dedicated to the arts and went on to complete his Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Vadodara.
His vision for IMA emerged in 2008 when he travelled back to India from his residence in London to focus on the art scene in India. The quality and the depth of work he saw along with a recognition of the difficulties facing artists led to the creation of imafoundation. Since 2008, he has curated numerous exhibitions to showcase artistic talent and initiated multiple projects, live and online under the title of ANUBHAV (which means sensory experience), Jñāna (Knowledge) to help uplift and engage people through a variety of creative endeavours. Latterly his focus is on a project called BRIDGE 2WORLDS.These projects have been carried out in a variety of settings schools and the poorer regions of India, as well as in indigenous and international art camps and workshops.
Rani Sharma
Co-Founder I Director
Rani is a co-founder and director of imafoundation.com. She is a highly experienced business psychologist, leadership consultant and executive coach who has worked for over 25 years at a premier consultancy with senior leaders and executives in global FTSE 100 organisations. Her expertise lies in assessing and developing talent both in the business and creative fields. She has a deep expertise in the emerging fields of positive psychology and the neuroscience of optimal performance. Her coaching programme “Designing Destiny” incorporates leading edge thinking on human development, creativity, and purposeful living. She is one of the authors of the book entitled Meaning Inc -The Blueprint for Success in the 21st-century. This has led her to develop her expertise in the emerging fields of human flourishing and purposeful leadership. Most recently she was invited to write a peer reviewed paper and deliver a speech to UNESCO (at the World Humanities Conference 2017) on the “The Art and Science of Human Flourishing”
She is an ICF accredited coach and a chartered psychologist with a Master’s in Clinical psychology.