NIKESH OLA
Nikesh Ola completed his BFA in Painting from the College of Art, Delhi (2020), and MFA from Shiv Nadar University, Dadri (2023). In his pursuit of forming a visual language, his works delves into ontology of painting and mediation. Inclined toward paintings as a form, his works also transform into other forms, such as images, moving images, sculptures, or installations, where works interbehaves and interweave. His work examines how the image of an artist is constructed both historically and institutionally, and how artists constantly negotiate these constructions. His practice focuses on spaces and mediums, exploring the access and limitations embedded in language and medium-specific practices. Refusal is a significant aspect of his practice, as he explores what can be refused, what can be claimed, and whether refusal itself is a form of claim. His works have been a part of various exhibitions including, ‘Expanded Disciplinarity: Chapter I Constructing Painterly Relations’, inaugural exhibition of Art Centrix Grants, New Delhi (2024); ‘Art and the Field, Context and Materiality’, curated by Vasudha Thozhur, Wetlands Art Space, Shiv Nadar University, Dadri (2024); ‘All That is Solid Melts into Air’, Anant Art, New Delhi (2023); among others. Nikesh lives and works between Delhi and Rajasthan.
Debajyoti Das
Debajyoti Das completed his BFA in Painting from The Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship, Kolkata (2015), and his MVA from The Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda (2017). After post-graduation, he set up his studio and also worked as an art teacher in Baroda to support his creative endeavors.
His work is dominated by a sense of anticipation and the uncanny, capturing moments of stillness and temporary abandonment. For Debajyoti, these spaces are not just deserted but hold the promise of future events or gatherings that will reintroduce life and activity. His expressionist approach reflects his desire to break free from the constraints of a hectic and emotionally repressed routine. The use of impasto disrupts conventional perceptions, challenging the boundaries of reality.
Debajyoti’s works have been exhibited in shows such as ‘From Where All That Sweat,’ curated by Niranjana Sundaram, Amuseum, Trivandrum (2022); ‘Anthology of the Annexe,’ The Art Gallery – Amdavad ni Gufa (2021); and ‘Open Studio,’ Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai (2019), among others.
In August 2023, Debajyoti relocated to Bangalore, where he serves as an Assistant Professor of Design, balancing his academic responsibilities with his artistic practice.
Arpana Caur
Day and Night Day & Night is an everyday phenomena but rarely painted by any Indian or Western artist. I can only remember Michelangelo’s 2 marble sculptures of Day and Night that I saw in Rome many years ago. So I began painting Day and Night over 20 years ago and cannot let go, as the subject of Time and Timelessness obsesses me. In the canvas in this exhibition night conquers day. -Arpana Caur
Seema Kohli
Seema Kohli (b. 1960) is a multi-disciplinary artist working through the imagination of mythical and fantastical worlds from a eco feminist eye. Engaging with visual and performative mediums, Kohli explores the themes of beauty and sensuality echoed in philosophy and spirituality studies across civilization. Her work primarily celebrates the cosmic feminine and its relationship to forces of creation and destruction. There is a focused engagement with the concept of Hiranayagarbha or The Golden Womb; she attempts to create new artistic identities by reshaping belongings, bringing the past and the present into a dialogue through a process of decay, hybridization and transformation.
