Shuvaprasanna, an artist who hails from the culturally rooted city of Kolkata is a visceral man who paints his inspiration like nostalgia on canvas. Over the years, Shuvada has exhibited globally along with having written, edited and published several books. He also holds many prestigious awards to his name and his works are included in many collections within India and Internationally.
Present at the exhibition were Ashok De ,Arzan Khambatta , Jatin Goswami etc
Showing in Mumbai after a long hiatus of 12 years, Shuvaprasanna’s latest muse has been the great epic, Mahabharata with vividly imagined scenes which leave a profound impact.
About Mystique of the epic, he says, “The most ancient, longest and grandest epic of India, Mahabharata chronicles stories of eternal social life, the battle between gods and demons that is at once fabulist and mystical, yet modern and real. For eEns numerous creative minds, researchers and scholars have kept themselves busy in the study of the mystique of this epic.
This epic not only fuelled creativity for ages, it casts its shadow over contemporary politics, diplomacy and social conditions. On one hand, its relevance can be discerned in the conflicts of daily life, love, sexuality, vengeance and on the other hand it is equally apparent in the notions of pure humanitarianism.
The allure and mysticism of this epoch-making creation that inspired me as an Indian and as a consensual human being, provided the fodder for this series of paintings. While I visualize the abstract forms of all the incidents, the tangible composition of all the places, periods and realms also float in my inner mind. Here I tried to present to you parts of the magic realist canvas that has been a companion in my long walk of life. If my audacious attempt touches you or amazes you, maybe then, I can get closer to my next milestones,” says Shuvaprasanna.
Shuvaprasanna was born in Kolkata in 1947. Graduated in fine art from the Indian college of Art (Under RB University) Kolkata in 1969.
He has had 58 solo exhibitions in India and abroad. Participated in major group exhibitions in India and abroad. Participated in III Asian Art Biennial, Bangladesh; II International Biennial, Havana, Cuba; II International Biennial, Ankara, Turkey; VII International Triennial India, New Delhi; III International Biennial of Prints, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; 6th EME Triennale Mondiale D’Estampes Petit Format 2003 in France.
He had visited the United States under the auspices of the USIA; visited England under the sponsorship of British Council; visited Germany under the sponsorship of Inter-Nations. He had also participated in a number of International projects, workshops and Art camps, more important amongst which are the Museum of Modern Art, Sitomo, Japan; To Encounter Others at Kassel, Germany; Workshop in Horniman Museum; Art in Nature, an Indo-German Workshop during the German Festival in India. Some of his paintings also went to auction houses like Christies’, London; Sotheby’s’, New York. Osian’s, Mumbai.
He has written, edited and published several books on art, literature and a regular columnist in various newspapers and journals. Recently published the book ‘Crow Owl Cat’, ‘Mone Rakha Taara’ and the autobiography ‘Aamar Chobi Jiban’ and others. He was founder member of Art and Artists, Calcutta; Joined Calcutta Painters, Calcutta; Jt. Secretary, Calcutta Art Fair; Member, CIRCA Geneva; Founded College of Visual Arts, Calcutta; Founded Arts Acre, An Artists’ Village, Calcutta; now refigured as Arts Acre Foundation- an International Centre of Creativity and Cultural Vision’ in New Town, Kolkata. A few films were also made on him, importantly ‘Reality and Beyond’ by Sujit Chatterjee and ‘Shuva and me’ by Goutam Ghose the painter visited Germany to meet Günter Grass.
He received a number of awards including the AIFACS Award, State LKA Award and Birla Academy Award, Taj Gaurav award by Taj Association for Art, Culture & Heritage. Manavata Vikas Award by IIPM. Awarded by West Bengal State Akademi of Dance Drama Music and Visual Arts. Awarded by Ram Mohan Mission, Awarded ‘Banga Vibhushan’ by Govt. of West Bengal, etc.
Works in collection with NGMA and LKA, Delhi; Govt. College of Art, New Delhi; UP State Lalit Kala Akademi; Chandigarh Museum; Punjab University; NCERT, New Delhi; Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata; Air India; Taj Group of Hotels; Times of India Group; WHO Geneva; Kratel SA Stuttgart, Germany; Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan; HEART, India; Radisson Ffort, Raichak, West Bengal; The Museum of Modern Art, Sitomo, Japan; Gujarat Heavy Chemicals, Delhi; Telecom Venture Group, Hong Kong; Kolkata Airport new Terminus Building; Museum of Sacred Art, Belgium; etc.
Presently Executive Trustee of Arts Acre Foundation. Also Chairman of West Bengal Heritage Commission, Govt. of West Bengal.
Gallery Art & Soul established in 2003, is a gallery showcasing Indian modern and contemporary arts in the heart of Bombay. Founded by Dr.Tarana Khubchandani, as an extension of her not-for-profit activities, the gallery has pursued a discourse in India and internationally of aesthetic syncretism, producing exhibitions that are varied in genre, materiality and conceptual thought across art historical timelines.
From its inception, Art & Soul has produced a stellar Breast Cancer charity support salon exhibition and gala. Over the last two decades, it has hosted solo exhibitions and retrospectives of artists such as Syed Haider Raza, Manu Parekh, Satish Gupta, Sujata Bajaj, Subhash Awchat, Laitha Lajmi, Jatin Das, Shuvaprasanna,Vinita Karim, Rithika Merchant, Rabin Mondal, Krishna Reddy, Abdul Aziz Raiba, Subhash Awchat, Yashwant Deshmukh, Ankit Patel, Revati Sharma Singh, Arzan Khambhata, Jin Sook Shinde, Vilas Shinde, Seema Kohli and Vasant Wankhede. Apart from the expansive space in the Worli district of Bombay, the gallery has partnered in hosting exhibitions with the National Gallery of Art, Mumbai, India Art Fair, India Habitat Center, CSMVS Museum, Mumbai, Jehangir Art Gallery, Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Clark House Initiative, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, India Art Festival, The Royal Opera House, Chennai Art Summit and Nehru Centre.
With yearly scholarships for art students, and travel bursaries for artists to the Venice Biennale, Art & Soul has also supported not for profits like the Kala Ghoda Festival, Kochi Muziris Biennale, Clark House Initiative, CSMVS Museum, NGMA and Sir JJ School of Arts. The gallery has been at the forefront of promoting ceramics as an art form with annual curatorial projects in support of the medium.
Art & Soul’s public art projects encompass the Mumbai Domestic Airports, Bengaluru International Airport, The Ritz Carlton Bengaluru, and The Leela Palace Hotel, New Delhi, amongst others.
The gallery provides a cross section of artists who work mainly within Modernism and Contemporary Decorative Arts. This focus supports a crucial section of the art eco-system. The gallery provides consultative services for large scale acquisitions by collectors privately and for their corporate needs. It also offers investment advice, curatorial expertise, collection management services and secondary sales to collectors.
The gallery exhibition programming is dynamic and interspersed with senior artist presentations, curated group shows and debutant solo shows for young artists. Art & Soul is firmly committed to their syncretic vision of art and support for accessible health in the field of cancer research through the umbrella of Art & Soul Cancer Foundation.
