Vividh 2016: Multiple Expressions of Indian Art

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ASIAN CONTEMPORARY ART
Paintings, Sculptures, Prints & Consultations

VISUAL
ART UK
Founded in 1999, Visual Art UK, with its head office in
London is an innovative gallery, which offers a window into
the treasure trove of art both historical and contemporary,
from across the Indian subcontinent, UK and the world. It
celebrates the richness and diversity of creative arts in
varied media, modes and manifestations. The eminent
institution hosts a steady program of curated art exhibitions
held at prestigious centers and platforms on the world stage
and also organizes virtual shows on the web.
Visual Art UK is credited for honouring celebrated master
artists while also supporting the young emerging talent.
Through its extensive network of collectors, art institutions,
artists, experts and partners in India and internationally
including those in the UK, India, Europe, America, Middle
and Far East, Visual Art follows an open door policy to
facilitate innovation and promote art and aesthetics.
The gallery brings out high quality catalogues and
publications. It also hosts talks; discussions and other
associated events and initiatives to inform entertain and
educate the public besides promoting the artists and their
work more widely across geographical barriers. It offers
consultancy to well-known businesses and corporate
houses for their commercial and interior design projects
besides advising and helping individuals to build their
personalized art portfolios and collections.
Vividh: Multiple Expressions of Indian Art, as the title
suggests, is a special selection of art works of high
aesthetic merit by a large group of artists from across
India, genres and schools of art that makes Visual Art
UK's annual show. The once a year exhibition presents a
diverse range of artistic expressions, focussing on a
comprehensive overview of Indian art over the last few
decades. The wide-ranging annual exhibition provides an
opportunity to the viewers and connoisseur to see, partake
and collect master pieces by legends such as Jamini Roy,
FN Souza, SH Raza, MF Husain, Satish Gujral, J
Swaminathan, SG Vasudev and AA Raiba among others
that sits beside some engaging work by young emerging
stars on the global art scene.
Vaishali Thakkar
For more details on Visual Art UK please contact:
Tele: +44-(0)207 0961124
email: info@visualartuk.com
web: www.visualartuk.com
With a track record of over 60 successful shows over the
last 15 years, Visual Art plans to enlarge the scope of its
work further and showcase new media art from Europe
and the Far East at its centre in London and in countries
overseas, jointly with partner organizations.

VIVIDH | AN OVERVIEW
OF CONTEMPORARY
INDIAN ART
By Sushma K Bahl
Indian art and aesthetics cutting across schools of art and
thought reflect its continuum of plural and intertwined
cultures. The vividh (a word in Hindi derived from Sanskrit
language means multifarious and diverse) collection offers
a panoramic overview of the vivid expanse of contemporary
Indian art scene. Traversing beyond the traditional
boundaries and subjects, the multiple creative expressions
discourse around the personal and the public, decorative
and mythical, rural and urban, real and imaged. In its form
too the assemblage of paintings shifts between portraiture
and narratives or landscapes and abstraction. Defying a
singular thrust, the holistic ensemble of around 50 paintings
in varied forms and genres by 25 artists from around India,
includes significant artworks by several renowned masters
who share the space with select works by younger emerging
artists on vividh platform.
Most of the works featured in the exhibition are paintings.
For the artist, the act of painting is like pouring his/her
inside out from the heart hand and mind onto the canvas
paper cloth board or another base. To quote Georgia
O'Keeffe, “… I could say things with color and shapes that I
couldn't say any other way… “. Manifest as a physical entity,
painting often entails a distinctly composed metaphor in
select colours, textures and forms that communicates an
emotion, idea, experience or message. And for the rasik
(taster/viewer) it is the encounter with the work that
matters, depending on his/her 'ways of seeing' to quote
John Berger. A subjective and intuitive process, one of the
earliest forms of art, painting continues to persist and
flourish in its own niche parallel with the expansion of
digital and other forms of art as is illustrated in this vivid
collection.
The multi-layered encounters, dreams and desires of the
artists as featured here, offer the viewer a peep into the
graphic eloquence and dynamics of a wide variety of
artworks. The multitude of life-like as well as imagined
masterpieces in this exhibition, as elucidated below,
represent the artistic repertoire of masters of the Bengal and
Santiniketan School as well as The Progressives, Shilpi
Chakra, Cholamandal, Baroda and Bombay Groups. The
mid-20th century paintings by legendary artists appear next
to some fresh creations, as of here and now, by their younger
contemporaries. The featured work is reflective of each
creator's own socio-cultural-political leanings and life
experiences in their trademark style as well as distinct
aesthetics of the collective they are affiliated to.
There is a substantial repertoire of portraiture in this
ensemble. A recurrent theme in painterly renditions, the
human form engages master artist FN Souza whose
obsession with male and feminine figures is represented in
the collection. The sensuousness and beauty of female
figure is also at the center stage in work by SG Vasudev
while mother child bonding is the undercurrent in painting
by B Prabha. Shanti Panchal in contrast focusses his gaze on
the innocence and plight of a young boy who appears in his

working boots and with a spade. His portrait of Maya with
her long hair seems pensive. Artist-scholar KG
Subramanyan's untitled woman looking upfront, eyes fixed
and surrounded by birds and beasts for companionship,
appears to come from another imagery world. Human
portraits be it petite and curvaceous female figure or strong
male form are also the playing fields in the work by Shanta
Samant. Spiritual iconic form Lord Ganesh, invoked for
auspicious beginnings, appears in a distinct incarnation in
yet another work authored by SG Vasudev as a woven silk
tapestry.
The ability to stay rooted and indigenous while also
absorbing and assimilating selective international practices,
is mirrored in Jamini Roy's figuration of the three pretty
maids or his Santhal carver. Noteworthy are the markings
and symbols in the borders around his puppet like figures in
flat colours. The work is clearly impacted by the folk arts and
Kalighat Patua (rural art form of West Bengal) repertoire of
his native place. In yet another strand appears AA Raiba's
narrative compositions titled Barahmasa (twelve
months/seasons of the year) in one case and untitled in
another. The fantasy-filled work draws its inspiration from
Pahari (art style practiced in and around the mountains in
Himachal) and Mughal miniature painting while younger
artist Bhairavi Modi's art, though in different renditions,
shares an interest in regional styles as reflected in her
depiction of scenes and stories as enacted by some of her
protagonists. Narratives surrounding people and life in
urban and rural India or those based on classical or folk
stories are at the center-stage in distinct work by
distinguished artists Bhupen Khakhar, NS Bendre and
Satish Gujral.
Minimalist ethereal impressionistic compositions and Zen
ambience comes to the fore in abstract and geometric
renditions by some of the featured artists. It includes work by
artists who were or have been based in the West, while
simultaneously keeping their links with the sub-continent
alive. A distinct ethnic touch within a glo-cal genre is
reflected in their abstraction that treads both the worlds.
Leading in this group is artist SH Raza who was based in
Paris until his last few years and renowned for his work
marked for its spiritual essence. Bindu (dot) and Prakriti
(nature) are at the center stage in his colourful compositions
encompassing circles, triangles, squares and half circles. A
dot within a rhythmic pattern of circles, triangles and
squares says it all, in Raza's oeuvre. His contemporary from
London, Balraj Khanna's amazing white circular painting,
features what reminds one of instruments, machine parts, or
space creatures in contrast. This resonance of an
otherworldly abstraction or neti-neti (neither this nor that)
ambience is echoed in his multi-coloured painting featuring
forms akin to toys, puppets and zebra like creatures. Also
included in the grouping is banker cum artist Nayan
Kisnadwala's work. His abstract paintings bordering on the
tantric feature blooms and Shaligram (lingam). Inspired by
colour therapy and numerology the works create a web of
spirals, lines and circles imbued with spiritual undertones.
Master artist Ram Kumar's peaceful landscape in subtle
colours entails markings suggestive of trees mountains
rivers and paths while J Swaminathan's landscape in a more
colourful and seductive composition features a series of
mountains with his trademark bird atop a mound and a
lonesome tree in the distance. A contrast of sorts appears in
brightly rendered landscapes by Nabibakhsh Mansoori that
engage the viewer in a guftgu (conversation) in one work
suggestive of mountains, rivers, horizon and fields while the
other reverberates with an impression of a mirage. Sridhar
Poluru evokes a different image of the landscape in a mix of
man animal and flora fauna while Paresh Maity's landscape
with water, boats and habitation appears in a poetic stance.
Popular culture with a touch of the cinematic and kitsch is
played up in work by artists Dileep Sharma, and Nayanaa
Kanodia, each shifting the focus to take in their current
experiences surrounded by Bollywood and Mumbai society.
The lady in a mini skirt and high heels appears with cropped
small figures dancing atop and around her, in scissors; while
in flying squad she adorns swimming costumes with high
heels, jewelry and cosmetics as a tiny aircraft appears in a

corner bottom of the painting by Dileep Sharma. In Nayanaa
Kanodia's paintings the magic of Moscow is being painted as
a self-portrait by the lady as her pet dog watches from
behind. The madam is shown in another picturesque
composition seated and regally dressed up, possibly waiting
for her man to come home. The two-some later appear in
another composition under a flowering tree, relaxing on a
sofa, the man comforting and pressing her feet. MF Husain
who had embarked on his artistic career as a billboard
painter, comes in the lead in this genre. A touch of the
Bollywood dynamics and popular Indian culture can be
traced in much of his colourful imagery be it running horses
or semi-urban scenes of cuddled individuals.
There is another group of artists who travel and work across
the continents, borders and genres. What they create tends
to be universal in its ethos and engaging in its content, while
articulating observations of the world as they see it. Suchi
Chidambaram's dusk at Milbank represents the energy,
architecture and glitz of the cityscape that she inhabits.
Vinita Karim's labyrinth of the cities in contrast focuses on
waterways and lakes of the cities she has traversed through,
as it also raises issues around conservation of the natural
resource. In another mode appears the work by New York
based multidisciplinary artist Raghava KK who combines
technology with art as in the batik like finish on his iconic
figuration.
The vividh (multiple) collection illustrates the versatility
within the genre of painting, entailing variable expressions
in different media and modes as practiced across the
country. Each artist creates the work in own distinct form,
style, palette, material, size, technique, and thrust, ranging
from oil or acrylic on canvas, to watercolours on paper, from
tapestry in silk to egg tempera on board, from mixed media
on hard surface to embroidery and gold/copper on canvas,
from gouache on paper to watercolours mixed with acrylic
on canvas. The plural ensemble presents an overview of the
contemporary Indian art scene. Reflective of the country's
enormous ethnic, linguistic, geographical, political and
cultural diversity, the artists can be seen to re-imagine and
re-configure their ideas, dreams and encounters, into fine
works of art that make this vividh collection.
Sushma K. Bahl, MBE, author of 5000 Years of Indian Art in English and Chinese editions, besides other books, and
former Head, Arts & Culture, British Council India; is an independent arts adviser, writer and curator based in Delhi.
Recipient of British Honour MBE, she is a member of the Paris based International Association of Art Critics (AICA) and
a trustee/advisory committee member of Abhyas Trust and Kala Sakshi Trust, both in Delhi, Arts Acre Foundation in
Kolkata, Harjai Global Gurukul in Mumbai, and Kerala Museum in Kochi.
sushmakbahl@gmail.com/ 15.09.2016

ART
WOR KS

A A RAIBA
Barhmasa | Oil on canvas | 44" x 132"
Untitled | Oil on canvas | 36" x 17"

Untitled | Oil on canvas | 39" x 40"
B PRABHA

BALRAJ KHANNA
Sunset Symphony | Acrylic on canvas | 45" x 45"
The Great White Tondo 4 | Mixed media

BHAIRAVI MODI
An old man-gusto | Water colour on paper | 40" x 30" A ladder-awry | Water colour on paper | 40" x 30"

BHUPEN KHAKHAR
Untitled | Charcoal & Water Colour on Paper | 21" x 15"

DILEEP SHARMA
Flying Squad | Water colour on paper | 66" x 44" Scissors-5/Leg series | Water colour on paper | 43" x 32"

F N SOUZA
The Cross | Mixed media on board | 24" x 18"

Mountain & Bird | Oil on canvas | 32" x 48"
J SWAMINATHAN

JAMINI ROY
Sanathal carver | Tempera on Board | 16" x 12" Three Sister | Mixed media on board | 19" x 12"

Untitled | Acrylic on canvas | 24" x 18"
K G SUBRAMANYAN

M F HUSAIN
Horse | Oil on canvas | 25" x 18" Two Horses | Oil on canvas | 34" x 46"
HMV | Water Colour on Paper | 16" x 20"

Village | Mixed media on paper | 7" x 10"
N S BENDRE

NABIBAKHSH MANSOORI
Guftgu, (Conversation) | Oil on canvas | 40" x 25" Mirage-III | Oil on canvas | 42" x 24"

NAYAN KISNADWALA
Blossoming of a Lotus Flower
Gouache on paper | 16" x 16"
The First Bloom
Gouache on paper | 16" x 16"
Rangin Shaligram | Egg Tempura on Paper | 18" x 16"

NAYANAA KANODIA
Memsahib
Oil on canvas | 40" x 20"
Under the Tree of Life
Oil on canvas | 48" x 36"
The Magic of Moscow
Oil on canvas | 48" x 36"

Untitled | Oil on canvas | 46" x 46"
PARESH MAITY

RAGHAVA K K
Ganesh | Watercolour & Acrylic on canvas | 53" x 41"

Landscape | Oil on canvas | 43" x 60"
RAM KUMAR

S G VASUDEV
Ganesh -1 | Tapestry | 40" x 30" He | Acrylic on canavs | 21" x 14" She | Acrylic on canavs | 21" x 14"

S H RAZA
Prakriti | Acrylic on canvas | 48" x 48"
Bindu | Acrylic on canvas | 48" x 48"

SHANTI PANCHAL
About a Boy | Watercolour on paper | 40" x 32" Maya's long Hair | Watercolour on paper | 40" x 32"

Motherhood | Acrylic on canvas | 42" x 48"
SRIDHAR POLURU

SUCHI CHIDAMBARAM
Dusk, Millbank | Oil on canvas | 60" x 60"

VINITA KARIM
The Blue Lagoon
Acrylic, embroidery, gold
and copper leaf on canvas | 40" x 40"
Lakes of gold
Acrylic, embroidery, gold
and copper leaf on canvas | 20" x 30"

ART
ISTS

A A RAIBA
AA Raiba, (1922- 2016) full name Abdul Aziz Raiba, was born in Bombay. He studied painting at
the Sir JJ School of Art in the city. A master artist of great repute Raiba started painting
professionally in the early 1950s and continued working into his 80s though during the last few
years of his life due to poor health, his movement were restricted and he could not paint much.
Characterised by bold shapes, strong outlines, and sophisticated colour, his canvases present
surrealist portraits and imagery mixed with markers of landscapes often with a naive
perspective. Winner of several honours from the Bombay Art Society including the Gold, Bronze
and Silver Medals, he painted in oil on canvas and also worked on several large murals for clients
including Air India and Ashoka Hotel. His work has been shown in many exhibitions and his
paintings are held in the collections at the Cairo Museum, Egypt, Nagpur Museum, and the
National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi.
BALRAJ KHANNA
Born 1940, Balraj Khanna, lived and studied in Punjab until 1962 when he shifted to Britain,
initially for further studies in English Literature at Oxford University. However, his
circumstances changed and he made UK his home and took to painting instead of studying
literature. The self-taught artist's work comes with distinct spiritual undertones. It embraces
abstraction and figuration in a fine assimilation of the East and the West. The use of sand, a
nostalgic element and a hallmark of his work, connects him to his Indian roots. The repetitive
forms in a mixed palette are reflective of Western discipline in his approach to work. The tall
silver haired multitalented gentleman, is a writer, a curator and an artist in equal measure. His
checkered career started with a stint as a correspondent, and includes execution of significant
commissions of murals and paintings for public and private institutions. He lectures on art at
universities and museums in the UK, has curated exhibitions such as Kalighat Paintings,
Krishna- The Divine Lover, 2000 Years of Indian Sculpture, and 60 Years of British Art 1945-2006
touring exhibitions for the Hayward Gallery, and has authored four novels amongst much else.
His work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Britain and elsewhere. He
founded the Horizon Gallery in London and was the Chairman of the Indian Arts Council in the
UK. Balraj Khanna has been a member of various committees including the Arts Council of
Great Britain, South Bank Centre and Hayward Gallery. Awards to his credit include the
Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize for his first novel Nation of Fools. The artist is based in London
and works from his studio in the city.

BHAIRAVI MODI
Bhairavi Modi born in 1980 in Gujarat, studied commerce and passed her master's in commerce
before undertaking a diploma in drawing and painting from Sheth CN College of Fine Arts in
Ahmedabad. In pursuit of her passion for art she went on to learn more and passed post-diploma
course in creative painting from MS university, Baroda. Painting and creating art is a source of
joy for the artist whose work is inspired by nature and the happenings around her. Her
narratives appear in a mix of people, events and landscape in dense imagery and bold colours.
Her works have been exhibited in solo and group shows held in galleries at Ahmedabad,
Mumbai, Canada, London, Bhopal, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Baroda. They are held in private,
institutional and corporate collections in India and abroad.
BHUPEN KHAKHAR
Bhupen Khakhar (1934- 2003) born in Mumbai studied accountancy at the University of
Mumbai and learnt to paint later in life, working on his own. Based in Vadodara, he became a
leading Indian artist internationally recognised for his bold figuration and evocative narratives
painted in details. With their focus on gender identity including homosexuality, his
compositions contained references to mythological as well as contemporary themes. Much of
his repertoire including paintings in oils and watercolours, mixed media and graffiti, is themed
around common people and is autobiographical in its essence. Since his first show in 1965,
Bhupen's paintings and drawings have been compared with David Hockney's work and
exhibited in various Indian towns as well as in London, Berlin and Tokyo. Recipient of Prince
Claus Award and Padma Shri among other honours, his work is held in important collections
including the National gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, British Museum and Tate gallery in
London and Museum of Modern Art in New York.
DILEEP SHARMA
Born 1974 at Mandawar in Rajasthan, Dileep Sharma did his graduation in art from the Rajasthan
School of Art in Jaipur and Master's Degree in printmaking from Sir J. J. School of Art in
Mumbai. He refined his skills further by attending series of workshops and residencies. His
repertoire encompasses prints, drawings and watercolours mostly on paper that make dramatic
pictorial narratives about contemporary society with a touch of satire. Under his pseudonym
Kunwarji his adventures extend to include a heady mix of pop culture, sexuality and socio
political issues as reflected in an interface between ethnic mythologies and urban life today.
There is a clear influence of miniature painting and folk arts with fun underpinning his densely

endered work that includes divergent subjects from religious icons to mundane objects.
Dileep's colourful motifs within images- coupled and cropped, fragmented and inter mixed;
make a satire on our fleeting world dominated by media and advertisements. Exhibited in
several solo and group shows across Indian metros as well as internationally including London,
Seoul, Dhaka and Vienna, the artist has received Honorable Mention Award at 6th International
Biennial of Print at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal amongst others. He lives in Mumbai and works out of
his studio in the city.
F N SOUZA
FN Souza (1924 – 2002) full name Francis Newton Souza was born in Goa and studied at the Sir
J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. One of the founding members and main ideologue of the
Progressive Artists Group along with S.H. Raza, M.F Husain and K.H. Ara, among others, Souza
was the first post-independence Indian artist to achieve recognition in the West. An articulate
genius, his canvases are provocative and powerful. His images emerged from his unrestrained
and graphic style of drawing and painting. The subjects are wide ranging - still life, landscape,
nudes and icons of Christianity. The compositions appear in a frenzied distortion of bold forms,
as expressions of his defiance and impatience with conventions. His works reflect influence of
various schools of art; the folk art of his native Goa on the one hand and the religious fervor of
the Catholic Church on the other, the landscapes of Europe and the path-breaking paintings of
the moderns. Souza's work has been exhibited all over the world including Gallery Creuze, Paris,
Arts 38, London, and at Bose Pacia Modern, New York, it is part of collections at the Tate Gallery,
London and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi amongst others.
J SWAMINATHAN
J Swaminathan (1928- 1994) full name Jagadish Swaminathan, born in Simla was a leading
Indian artist, painter, poet and writer, guru to many artists of today. Marked for its pristine
simplicity his imagery including graphic prints and oil paintings, turns captivating given his
choice of vivid colours and well ordered geometry and selective use of symbols. There is a
distinct influence of the tribal arts in the way he used his fingers for applying pigments.
Swaminathan studied graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Warsaw, Poland. An active
member of the Communist Party of India, he was also one of the founding members of Group
1890, and wrote its manifesto. An influential artist he was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru
Fellowship and was instrumental in setting up the art museum 'Roopankar' at the Bharat Bhavan
in Bhopal of which he was the director for several years. He is credited with discovering and
bringing into the limelight some of the finest modern day Gond and Bhil tribal artists including

the famous Jangarh Singh Shyam. In addition to supporting others, he continued to paint, and
participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. His work was exhibited during the Tokyo
Biennale and the first International Triennale India. He was on the international jury for the São
Paulo Biennale and his work can be seen in important public and private collections in India and
abroad.
JAMINI ROY
Jamini Roy (1887- 1972) was born at Beliatpore in West Bengal. He studied at the University of
Calcutta and trained as a painter. One of the famous pupils of Abanindranath Tagore, he learnt
in the prevailing academic tradition drawing classical nudes and painting impressionist
landscapes in oils but soon started to draw inspiration from the living folk and tribal art of
Bengal particularly the Kalighat Pat style. An important artist of the Bengal School, his
experimentations began with paintings of the Santhal dancers in bold sweeping brush-strokes
embodying simplicity with beauty. The imagery later expanded to include varied themes
including people such as rural maids, brides, mother and child, workers, animals and birds. He
created a large body of impressive work that has been exhibited in numerous shows across India
and the world including London, New York and Paris. His paintings are held in significant
collections and museums such as the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi and the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London. Honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1954, he has contributed
significantly to the emergence of modern Indian art.
K G SUBRAMANYAN
K G Subramanyan (1924- 2016) was born in Kuthuparamba, Kerala. He trained in art initially at
Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan which was followed by further study first at the Slade School of Art in
London on a British Council Scholarship and then in the USA on a Rockefeller fellowship. He
taught for decades at India's two landmark art centers– Baroda Faculty of Fine Arts and
Santiniketan; thus influencing many generations of artists. He was involved in the struggle for
independence, and spent six months in jail. His contribution to the development of handloom
and handicrafts in the country as a design consultant for nearly two decades is also noteworthy.
Subramanyan experimented with a wide variety of media- painting on canvas and glass,
sculptures, murals and reliefs in terracotta, cement and wood, tapestry and weavings, and toys
and illustrations for children's books. His folk inspired work spanning over six decades includes
colourful and narrative imagery that intertwines the wicked with innocent to create amazing art
full of fun and substance. A sense of continuity and tradition pervades his delineation while his
writings on art and artistic practices make engaging readings on culture. A Padam Shri

awardee, K G as he was popularly known was also recipient of the Christensen Fellowship at St.
Catherine's College Oxford, Professor Emeritus at Visva Bharti, Santiniketan and LKA Kala
Ratna and Ravi Varma Award amongst others. This eminent artist's work has been exhibited in
numerous important shows in various parts of the world including at Asian Artists' Exhibition
in Japan, Six Indian Painters at Tate Gallery, London, a retrospective at the National Gallery of
Modern Art in Delhi besides nearly 50 other solo shows in Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai,
Santiniketan, New York and Oxford. Subramanyan represented India at prestigious
international Biennales.
M F HUSAIN
M.F. Husain (1915- 2011) full name Maqbool Fida Husain, also spelt as Hussain, was born at
Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Popularly known as MF Husain, he is one of India's world famous
painters. He learnt the art of calligraphy and the Kulfic Khat and wrote poetry at a young age.
Studied art briefly, first at the Indore Art College and then at Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai,
where he worked on designing furniture and making toys as well as a billboard painter for
cinema hoardings to sustain himself. It is this varied experience and rigor that endowed his
work its special artistic oeuvre. There is a simplicity enshrined in the enigmatic style, vibrant
colours and accessible imagery that this multi-faceted and special individual created in bold
and quick brush strokes. Well grounded in the traditional roots and fiercely open to the
contemporary, external or experimental, his masterpiece creations about life, society and the
world around – people, nudes, horses, Mother Teresa, religious icons, landscapes and other
forms of imagery, all assume a distinct and luminous representation even though their faces
bear no features! His enormous body of work also includes series of paintings on the British Raj,
on the cities of Calcutta, Benares, Rome and Beijing, Epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana,
religions of the world and his favourite Bollywood stars. His repertoire also includes murals,
portraits, photographs, design work and film direction including 'Through the Eyes of a Painter',
'Gaja Gamini' and 'Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities' the former winning the Golden Bear Award
at the Berlin Film Festival. Invited to Sao Paulo Biennial along with Pablo Picasso, his work has
been shown in numerous seminal art expositions held all over the country and the world.
Honoured as Padma Vibhushan by the President of India amongst other awards, he was also a
nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha. His work can be seen at significant collections
including Ebrahim Alkazi and NGMA Delhi, Jehangir Nicholson Mumbai, Masanori Fukuoka
and Glenbarra Museum in Japan and Chester and Davida Herwtiz in USA. With homes and
studios in several cities, Hussain lived his last few years in exile, shuttling between Dubai and
London.

N S BENDRE
N. S. Bendre (1910 - 1992) full name Narayan Shridhar Bendre was born in Indore, and attended
the State Art School in the city before shifting to Bombay for further study in Art. A
multitalented artist, the legendary painter and master colourist was also a composer and social
crusader whose work has left deep imprints on contemporary Indian art scene. Starting his
career as a painter and journalist for the government of Kashmir when he created sketches of the
scenic landscapes of the Himalayan valley, he moved to Madras for a short stint as an art
director. This was followed by a decade of teaching as a lecturer, then head and finally the Dean
in Painting Department at Baroda's Faculty of Fine Arts before turning to fulltime painting as a
freelance artist based in Bombay. His wide ranging repertoire included landscapes, portraits in
oils and gouache, murals and wall paintings. Marked for its academic and cubist impressionist
stance, his art-scape experimented with pointillism and combined formal Indian themes with
mainstream European modernism. He came in touch with other legendary masters of Bengal
during his tenure as an artist in residence at Santiniketan and was a member of the Progressive
Artists Group (PAG). He traveled extensively in India and abroad, and his work has been
exhibited in major shows and is part of significant museum collections internationally.
Honoured with the Padmashri and Padmabhushan awards from the President of India, he also
received Silver and Gold Medals from the Bombay Art Society besides Lalit Kala Akademi and
Kalidas Samman amongst others.
NABIBAKHSH MANSOORI
Born 1966 at Idar in Gujarat, Nabibakhsh Mansoori Diploma holder in drawing and painting
from C.N. College of Fine Arts at Ahmedabad followed it up with a Post Diploma in Fine Arts
from the M.S. University at Baroda. Starting with a job as an art teacher, he now paints as a
freelance full time artist. His work stands out for its juxtaposition of the mundane with the
quirky, facts with fiction, animate with inanimate, man with animal, whole with a part and
abstract with narrative. Endowed with a lithe flow of forms and lines, the intricately layered
imagery comes in splintered-dreamy-dramatic-surreal colourful compositions as well as in
charcoal drawings and some installations. Nabi's work has been exhibited in numerous
exhibitions including solos held at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat, Delhi, Dubai and London
besides in several group shows including the Asian Art Biennale at Dhaka and 44th National Art
Exhibition in Delhi besides auctions held by Sotheby's and Bonham's in London. He assisted
M.F. Husain, and has participated in various art camps and workshops besides contributing to
charity shows including Pratham UK and Christies London. Recipient of numerous awards
notable amongst which are Bendre Husain scholarship bestowed by Bombay Art Society,

Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academi Award, Fellowship of the Ministry of Human Resources
Development and South Zone Cultural Centre Nagpur, his work is held in renowned corporate
and public collections including the Reliance and RPG in Mumbai, Barry Underwood in
Australia, City Museum of Ahmedabad and Brent Eidson at Houston. The artist lives in
Gandhinagar, Gujarat and works from his studio in the city.
NAYAN KISNADWALA
Nayan V. Kisnadwala a banker by profession, took to painting later in life, re-ignited by his
passion for art that had laid dormant for decades as he worked to make a living. Signing his
works as Nayanmitra, a name given to him by his spiritual teacher, Her Holiness Anant Sri
Vibhusit Pratham Parvatyacharya GuruMaa J Saraswati, the work is his homage to the guru.
Drawing from symbolism and inspired by scriptures, his art engages with colour therapy and
numerology to create positive vibrations. Meditative in essence he contributes all sale proceeds
from his art for various charitable causes.
NAYANAA KANODIA
Born 1950 in Pune, Nayanaa Kanodia completed her graduation in Economics from Delhi
University before her foray into art for which she underwent a year's apprenticeship with Anjolie
Ela Menon. Over the last few decades, she continues to work on her own refining and evolving
her technique further. Nayanaa's canvases and paper works that include oils and gouache
attempt to express the bipolarity, typical of contemporary Indian society standing at the
crossroads. She depicts people- Gujarati, Parsis and Mumbaikars and their everyday life and
street scenes in a joyful, chatty and satirical way with a remarkable attention to detail, almost
like photo-features. Amongst the few Indian artists practicing 'Naive Art', Nayanaa's portraits
and scenes turn evocative brimming with humour, spice and colour. There are street vendors,
flower sellers, Bollywood stars and images from her city that appear in a curious mix of charm
and theatricality. Nayanaa's work has been exhibited widely in over 20 solo and many more
group-shows at leading art spaces in India and abroad, including London, Washington, Tokyo,
Hong Kong and Paris. She lives and works in Mumbai.

PARESH MAITY
Born in 1965 in Tamluk, Paresh Maity spent his early childhood in rural Bengal. He moved to
Kolkata for his Bachelor's degree in art from the Government College of Art & Craft and then to
the capital for his Master's degree from the Delhi College of Art, specializing in painting and
winning gold medals for both. A rare excellence in transparent watercolors, in large or small
format, that capture the nuances of light and shade mark his masterly skill in the medium. His
creativity extends to include paintings in oils and mixed media that form a large part of his
impressive body of work, to which he has added some installations more recently. An avid
traveler, excellent photographer, skilled designer, and a great storyteller, Paresh works not just
in landscapes or figuration but also abstraction, and has made several sculptures and films as
well. Marked for its finesse and romanticism, much of his work comes with a touch of folklore.
His repertoire and career, that spans nearly a 100 solo and group shows in India and abroad,
including at the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale, Indian Triennial, Indian and
Singapore Art fairs, has been documented in a couple of large, illustrated books. Honoured with
a Padam Shri, he is also a recipient of the Royal Watercolor Society Award in London, Governor's
Gold Medal in Kolkata and AIFACS Award in Delhi. His work is held in numerous private and
public collections including the British Museum London and the National Gallery of Modern
Art Delhi. Paresh lives in Delhi and works from his studio in the city.
RAGHAVA K K
Raghava K.K. born in 1980 in Bangalore, is an artist who works in multiple disciplines and
genres ranging from making cartoons to painting, film making, installation, digital and
performance art. Conceptually his work engages with construct of identity, gender and
sexuality, and the absence of interpersonal context in today's world with its focus on online
identity. Raghava has been named as one of the 10 most fascinating people the world by the
CNN. His work has featured in exhibitions and projects held in India and other parts of the world
including an invited show at the Carre d' Art Musee d'Art Contemporain for the city of Nîmes in
2010. A sought after lecturer he has been a TED speaker and given talks at New York University,
New Hampshire Institute of Art, Long Beach, CA. and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France. His
interactive iPad app, which promotes open-mindedness lunched recently has been exhibited at
Art Stage Singapore and India Art Fair. The artist lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

RAM KUMAR
Born 1924 in Simla Ram Kumar did his Master's Degree in Economics from Delhi University but
turned to art and joined the Sarada Ukil School of Art, in the city when he began to participate in
group exhibitions, where he was spotted by Raza who later became a close friend. Among the
first generation of post-colonial artists who helped forge an Indian identity though their
aesthetics and sans any iconic representation, Ram Kumar's work stands tall. In a juxtaposition
of what has been described as 'outward joy together with an inward reticence', the legendry
artist's work offers a sensual pleasure, even nirvana in its colours and haze of forms that recall
the tranquil landscapes of Simla- its mountains and horizon, and the bustling cityscapes of
Varanasi- its temples and holy river. Ram Kumar's stringent geometric forms are diligently
textured and painted in layers to give his work its distinctive appearance. His work has been
exhibited and collected extensively all over India and internationally. Ram Kumar lives in Delhi
and works from his studio at home.
S G VASUDEV
Born in Mysore Karnataka in 1941, S.G. Vasudev is an alumnus of Madras College of Art and one
of the founder member of Cholamandal Artists' Village on the outskirts of Chennai in
Tamilnadu. A painter who works in varied media including drawing, metal relief and tapestry
amongst others, Vasudev has created a large body of work. Themed around Vriksha (Tree of
Life), Maithuna (Act of Love), faces, Human-scapes, Earth-scapes and Theatre of Life besides
others, his art comes in an interesting mix of tradition and modernity and in series. His
techniques range from metal beating and casting to painterly compositions that also include
mythological themes. Winner of National and State awards, his work has featured in several
important group exhibitions including the Triennale India, the Paris Biennale, the Havana
Biennale, National Gallery of Modern Art Indian show in Washington, the Festival of India in
Tokyo and The New South – Contemporary Painting & Sculpture from South India in London.
His solo shows have been held in different parts of India and in Canada, the USA and Germany
while his drawings based on the late A.K. Ramanujan's poetry and translations, titled Tribute to
Ramanujan, has toured Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, London and Chicago. His work including
murals adorn many individual, institutional and corporate collections in India and overseas. He
worked as the art director for two award-winning Kannada films, has been on the Executive
Board of the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the advisory committee of the National Gallery of Modern
Art. Vasudev a socially committed artist, is the founder and Managing Trustee of Arnawaz
Vasudev Charities that gives financial assistance to young artists. He lives in Bangalore and
works from his studio on the outskirts of the city.

S H RAZA
S. H. Raza (1922- 2016) full name Syed Haider Raza was born in Madhya Pradesh. He studied
painting at the School of Art in Nagpur and Mumbai's Sir JJ School of Art. One of the greatest
icons of Contemporary Indian Art and a founder member of the Progressive Artists Group, Raza
as he was popularly known, moved to Paris in 1950 to study at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts
with a French Government scholarship. And Paris became his home for several decades before
he shifted his base to Delhi. Raza's oeuvre is marked for its spiritual essence, its myriad colours
and abstraction. The vague suggestions of a landscape of his childhood amidst rustic rural
ambience of MP that can be seen in his early works, began to fade away and became subtle as the
artist turned inward. The rendezvous with simple elementary geometric forms, symbols and
metaphors including 'Bindu' i.e. a dot or circle appeared in luminous reds, blues and other
colours in his canvases rotating around a focal point often symbolic of male-female polarity
bordering on the tantric. The legendary artist successfully retained the energy and spirit of the
land of his birth, and added to it a technical finesse resulting from his Western training and
exposure. Raza contributed to several cultural trusts and initiatives in India and France that
continue to support promising young artists to showcase their work internationally. His own
work has been exhibited in countless individual and group shows including the International
Biennales at Venice, Sao Paolo, Manton and Triennale India. Awards conferred on him included
the Prix de la Critique in Paris, the Kalidas Samman by the government of Madhya Pradesh and
the Lalit Kala Ratna and Padma Shri by the President of India. His work is held in important
Indian and international public and private collections including the National Gallery of
Modern Art, Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai and Bharat Bhavan Bhopal.
SATISH GUJRAL
Born 1925 at Jhelum in Punjab, Satish Gujral studied at Mayo School of Art in Lahore followed
by further study at JJ School of Art in Bombay at a time when it was under the influential surge
of Progressive Artists Group. A fellowship in South America at an early stage in his career left a
deep impression on the artist's mind though he has resiliently retained his own style to give
Indian modernism his individual touch and iconography. Satish Gujral is a versatile artist and a
living legend in the art scene of post independence India. His early years of solitude due to a
hearing impairment together with the trauma of India's partition were reflected in his initial
figurative work that often featured people burdened by the tough circumstances of their life.
The experimental nature and emotive quality of his work in sculptures, paintings, collages and
murals are the distinctive features of Satish Gujral's amazing creative array. His play with
material and form ranges from ordinary people occupied in their routine work to iconic themes
and figures, in paintings or sculptures in ceramics, burnt wood or other material. His

experiments in varied artistic expressions extend to include graphics, interior design and
architecture as they engage with interesting decorative patterns. The artist has been the subject
of several publications including an autobiography and dozens of films. His sculptures and
murals adorn important buildings in Delhi while his work has been exhibited around India and
the world including a major retrospective at the NGMA Delhi. Recipient of National and
International honours, his repertoire includes 'Padma Vibhushan' awarded by the President of
India, 'Order of the Crown' by the Belgian Government, three times National as well as LKA
Ratna and more recently Order of the Aztec Eagle conferred by the Mexican President. Satish
Gujral lives in Delhi and works from his studio in the city.
SHANTA SAMANT
Shanta Samant born in 1975 in West Bengal, trained in art and passed her BFA and then MFA
both in sculpture from MS University in Vadodara. Working mostly in bronze her work
encompasses human form and its dynamics. Male and female figures in delicate posturing
entail body movement adding to the dramatic effect in her formations and compositions.
Shanta's artworks have been exhibited in solo and group shows held in Mumbai, Ahmadabad,
Baroda, Kolkata, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi besides London, Dubai and Hong Kong. It is part of
important corporate and private collections. Shanta has also undertaken projects on ecology
and sustainability. She is based in Vadodara where she is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of
Fine Arts in MS University.
SHANTI PANCHAL
Born 1951 at Mesar in Gujarat, Shanti Panchal studied art at Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai
where he also worked on a fellowship for a year before taking up a teaching assignment at
Sophia College Polytechnic in the city. Further study at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London
on a British Council Scholarship directed his future track that included three successive stints
as an Artist-in-residence at the British Museum in London, Harris Museum at Preston and the
Winsor & Newton Art Factory in London before he decided to settle in the British capital.
Shanti's art is marked for distinctive and subtle compositions. His cleverly drawn and
positioned figuration makes captivating narratives. His understanding of Indian folk forms
coupled with his study of European traditions gives the male and female forms in his
compositions a fluidity and depth in palette. Though he also works in oils and acrylics, Shanti's
preferred medium is water colours on paper that he has mastered. The imagery extends beyond

landscapes to include narratives. Focusing on issues around displacement in his realistic and
firmly grounded work, he treats the world as a stage. The artist's work has been exhibited in
numerous exhibitions all over the UK, Europe and elsewhere. it is part of significant public and
private collections including the Arts Council of England, Birmingham Museum, British
Museum, Imperial War Museum, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool and Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait
Collection, London. Shanti lives in London and works out of his studio in the city.
SRIDHAR POLURU
Sridhar Poluru born in 1968 in Andhra Pradesh, India studied science and did his B.Sc. from
Nagarjuna University, before turning to art and passed his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art in first
rank from Andhra University. He worked at Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad. The
painter's work comes in multimedia. With charcoal on textile and acrylic on canvas his imagery
focusses on different subjects. The themes vary from day to day life, gender issues such as
women's empowerment, sati, child marriage, girl education and environmental concerns
though he has also created work featuring divine forms and mythology. His work has been
featured in exhibitions held in India. Sridhar currently lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat and works
from his studio at home.
SUCHI CHIDAMBARAM
Suchi Chidambaram who has her family roots in Southern India shifted her base to London in
1998 where she is based now. Primarily a self taught artist she paints in oil on canvas. Her
imagery offers views of the cities, people, and architecture that she has travelled through. It
absorbs stories that she comes across and the experiences she encounters. The compositions
are not painted in situ, but triggered by her memory of the places, often driven by emotions as
they capture the underlined mood and the narrative. She uses palette knife besides brushes for
her thick impressionistic textured strokes to reveal the rhythm and movement of the people and
the places, shifting between abstract and figurative forms. Her work has been part of shows held
in India and in Europe from where it has found its way into private and corporate collections.
Suchi lives and works in London.

VINITA KARIM
Vinita Karim born 1962, studied Science and Business Administration in Sweden before taking
up a course in Fine Arts at the University in Philippines. This multinational expose, work
experience and travels through Asia, the Middle East and Europe gets reflected in her gilt-leafed
canvases that are set amidst un-named lands and life/s, some real others imagined. Sans any
physical human presence, her colourful compositions breathe meaning and life. The layered
work seems to rotate around life lines of waters, in cities with significant sea histories and
geographies. Vinita is a prolific artist whose work has been exhibited in 23 solo exhibitions and
many more group shows in India and internationally, including the art fairs held in Delhi, Dubai,
Dhaka, Canada and other parts of the globe from where it has been picked up by discerning
collectors. The artist lives and works between Delhi and Dhaka or wherever her travels take her.
Sushma K. Bahl, author of 5000 Years of Indian Art in English and Chinese editions, besides other
books, and former Head, Arts & Culture, British Council India; is an independent arts adviser,
writer and curator based in Delhi. Recipient of British Honour MBE, she is a member of the Paris
based International Association of Art Critics (AICA) and a trustee/advisory committee member
of Abhyas Trust and Kala Sakshi Trust, both in Delhi, Arts Acre Foundation in Kolkata, Harjai
Global Gurukul in Mumbai, and Kerala Museum in Kochi.
sushmakbahl@gmail.com / Sep. 2016

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge and thank several people for
their contribution towards Vividh exhibition.
Sushma K Bahl for breathing life into the exhibition with her
essay and description of Vividh; Prateeq Kumar for adding
colour and form by designing the invitations and catalogue.
Thanks to Damson Communications for their support and
expertise.

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