Galerie Steph and PARADOX are pleased to present a special joint exhibition of contemporary Indian art. The exhibition will feature significant pieces by Paresh Maity and A.V. Ilango, both highly established and prolific Indian artists. These modern artists will be presented along side emerging contemporary artists Chila Kumari Burman, Schandra Singh and Mithu Sen.
The collection presents two significant oil paintings by Maity that were created in 2004 and 2005. Originally shown in London, the works are highly coveted due to their large size and execution. The works embody Maity’s inspiration from his travels to Rajasthan, which marked his transition from water-colour landscapes to depicting human figures in vibrant colours typical of the region. Having focused on sculptures and installations in recent years, these unique paintings are a rarity in today’s market.
A series of four black-and-white oil paintings from A.V. Ilango’s “Bull Series” will also be showcased. The paintings, created in 2007, are prime examples of Illango’s ability to capture movement on canvas and his fascination with bulls which form the very idiom of primitive, folk and classical arts of India.
The exhibition also features two works from Chila Kumari Burman’s “Bindi Girl” series. The intricate works are composed entirely from bindis, stickers, gems and crystals which take several months to complete. These works capture Burman’s Punjabi heritage and allude to the hyper-feminine, the sexual and the everyday.
Four mixed media works on paper and linen by Schandra Singh are also featured. Using oil and gouache Singh addresses shared social and political realities. Relying on her Indian and Austrian cultural heritage Singh combines the storytelling of the Indian miniature painting with neo – expressionism.
A unique work by Mithu Sen, one of India’s young, brightest and most talented contemporary artists will also be on display. Multi-faceted Mithu Sen works in a diverse range of media including collage, larger sculptural projects, drawing and installation. Her work is represented in New York, Berlin and elsewhere and we are pleased to feature it here.
About the Artists
Paresh Maity
Born in Tamluk, West Bengal in 1965 Paresh Maity has a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Government College of Arts and Craft, Kolkata and a Master's degree from College of Art, Delhi.
Maity is one of India’s most prolific and well known contemporary artists having exhibited extensively in India and internationally. His work comprises several prestigious collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art and the British Museum. More recently, Maity created a large piece of art for the new Terminal 3 at New Delhi International airport. The mural which stretches up to 850 feet is titled “The Indian Odeyssy” and is the largest painting he has created to date.
Paresh Maity lives and works in New Delhi.
A.V. Ilango
Ilango Anthiyur Venkatraman or A.V. Ilango as he is more commonly known, was born in 1950 in the state of Tamil Nadu. He obtained a Bachelor’s in Science specializing in Mathematics from the Central College of Bangalore in 1971. In 1973 he obtained his Master’s in Science also in Mathematics from the same college.
A self-taught artist, A.V. Ilango works with both sculpture and canvas. Inspired by the architecture, sculpture and stone reliefs of the temples of South India, A.V. Ilango’s cultural background remains the chief influence in his work.
Known for his ability to capture movement, Ilango has been drawing and painting for over thirty years, depicting dancers, drummers and festivals that evoked the folklore and culture of his hometown in Chennai.
A.V. Ilango works and lives in Chennai.
Chila Kumari Burman
Educated at the famous Slade School of Art, Chila Kumari Burman has worked experimentally across print, paint, sculpture, photography and mixed media since the mid 1980’s. Drawing on fine and pop art imagery, she explores Asian femininity, her personal family history, and articulates a critical position within contemporary post-colonial consumption saturated Britain.
Burman’s works comprise important public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Birmingham Museum, British Council, Arts Council England, Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom, as well as the Devi Foundation in India.
Chila Kumari Burman lives and works in London.
Mithu Sen
Born in 1971 in West Bengal, Mithu Sen obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in painting from Kala Bhavan at Santiniketan in 1995 and 1997 respectively. Later she completed a postgraduate program at the Glasgow School of Art in the United Kingdom on the prestigious Charles Wallace India Trust Award for 2000-2001.
Working around her attention and affiliation to concerns of individual interiority and broad femininity with a touch of eroticism, this upcoming and talented artist deftly draws sexuality from diverse objects - living as well as inanimate. She does so sensitively, displaying a smart sense of political acumen laced with witticism and sarcasm. These, in fact, are the unmatched facets of her deservingly lauded artistic career.
Mithu Sen lives and works in New Delhi.
Schandra Singh
Born in Suffern, New York, in 1977, Schandra Singh possesses a highly coveted painting pedigree. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999 at the Rhode Island School of Design, she went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts in Painting in 2006 at Yale University. Singh has exhibited internationally and most notably in the recent "The Empire Strikes Back" exhibition at Saatchi Gallery in London.
A survivor of September 11th, Singh depicts the life of luxury, but with a fear of the unknown lurking within. Her work mirrors themes of escapism, anxiety and the existential crisis of being marooned in ‘paradise’. Her work, fueled by a need to foster communication in a time of emotional uncertainty, challenges the viewer to discern and recognise the human condition that she expresses in her works.
Schandra Singh lives and works in Poughkeepsie, New York.
