He paints landscapes, but for him the hills, rivers and the forests are not merely physical spaces to be consumed for their beauty but become sites for ideological interrogation of socio-political concerns in a seamless, non-intrusive fashion. The landscapes are locales where leitmotifs such as hope for peace, utopian dreamscapes, loss of innocence, and millenarianism; as the vertical intrusion of the sublime in the horizontal flux of cyclical time, play out.
BORN
1964
EDUCATION
Self-taught artist
AWARDS AND HONOURS
2014.
Curated a show on contemporary art of Jammu for AMML (Amar Mahal Museum and Library) Jammu
2012.
Invited to show his work at the India special exhibition at 5th ‘Beijing International Art Biennale’, China
2011.
Awarded ‘Lorenzo IL Magnifico’ for his work ‘Untitled’ at Florence Biennial
Invited to participate in the 8th edition of the Florence Biennale, Italy
2006.
National Academy Award for ‘Blue River and the God of Fish’
Curated a show on Contemporary Indian Art in Cyprus
2004.
‘Award of Honor’ presented by Central Mahajan Sabha, Jammu
2003.
Elected to the Executive Board of the Lalit Kala Akademi, (The National Academy of Arts in India), New Delhi
1998.
J&K State Award for ‘Jay’s Remains’
Bank of Punjab Award for ‘The Priest’
1997.
Awarded scholarship in drawing by All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi for ‘Poplar Grove’
Award of Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar for ‘Tree, Fish and Butterfly’
1994.
‘Award of Honor’ presented by N.S.S. Wing of Jammu University in the field of visual arts
1980-86
Gold and Silver medals in Zonal and National Festivals held at Hissar, Agra, Annamalai, Akola, Chandigarh, Kanpur, Aligarh and Meerut
1984.
Sobha Singh Award from J&K Gandhi Smarak Nidhi
JURY
2016. Nominated as one of the jury members for ‘57th National Exhibition of Art’ By Lalit Kala Akademi (The National Academy of Arts in India)
2016. Nominated as one of the jury members for ‘Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation National Emerging Artists’ contest
2013. Nominated as one of the jury for Annual State Exhibition of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh
2009. Nominated as one of the jury member for 52nd National Exhibition of Arts, 2010 by Lalit Kala Akademi (The National Academy of Arts in India)
