Vividh 2016: Multiple Expressions of Indian Art

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.