Event Title: India Art Fair 2025
Date: 6 - 9 February, 2025
Booth No: F03
Venue Address: NSIC Exhibition Grounds in Okhla, New Delhi, Delhi 110020
Emami Art presents Polyphonic Confluences
Exhibited Artists
- Ali Akbar P N
- Anjan Modak
- Arindam Chatterjee
- Arpita Akhanda
- Arunima Choudhury
- Bholanath Rudra
- Lalit Mohan Sen
- Prasanta Sahu
- Santanu Debnath
- Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri
- Soma Das
- Suman Dey
- Tapas Biswas
- Ujjal Dey
Exhibition Statement
The exhibition ‘Polyphonic Confluences’ brings together a dynamic array of artistic expressions, each contributing a unique voice to a collective chorus. Jacques Rancière, in his work ‘The Politics of Aesthetics’, argues that art has the power to disrupt conventional hierarchies and challenge dominant narratives, opening up space for alternative voices and perspectives to be heard. Inspired by Rancière, this exhibition celebrates the plurality of aesthetic experiences, illustrating how diverse forms of art engage with and transform our social and political realities. The works on display operate within their unique historical and cultural contexts, challenging conventional norms and reshaping our perceptions of beauty, creativity, power, and knowledge. By presenting a confluence of voices, this exhibition serves as a catalyst for dialogue and change, highlighting the transformative power of art.
Central to ‘Polyphonic Confluences’ is the belief that art democratizes society by amplifying the voices of those from the margins. Through the creation of new modes of perception and understanding, the artworks challenge existing power dynamics and offer alternative visions of reality, inspiring collective action and solidarity. Thus, Emami Art invites you to explore and appreciate the multitude of aesthetic experiences. By rejecting any singular, universal definition of art, we celebrate the diversity of artistic practices and interpretations. Each encounter with these artworks is shaped by the unique perspectives and lived experiences of both the artists and the viewers.
The exhibition features the works by Ali Akbar P N, Anjan Modak, Arindam Chatterjee, Arpita Akhanda, Arunima Choudhury, Bholanath Rudra, Lalit Mohan Sen, Prasanta Sahu, Santanu Debnath, Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri, Soma Das, Suman Dey, Tapas Biswas and Ujjal Dey.
Quote by Richa Agarwal
"Polyphonic Confluences embodies Emami Art’s commitment to nurturing dialogue across generations. Featuring fourteen artists, predominantly from Bengal, the exhibition seamlessly integrates archival vintage works with contemporary pieces, fostering a conversation between tradition and modernity. These diverse works respond to the social and cultural contexts of their time, celebrating both established and emerging voices. Art’s transformative power to inspire reflection and connection remains central to our mission. As we look ahead to the India Art Fair 2025, we continue to support diverse artistic practices and voices, showcasing the enduring impact of art across generations."
— Richa Agarwal, CEO, Emami Art
Biography
Ali Akbar P N
Ali Akbar P N was born in 1996 in Kerala. The artist studied Painting at the Government College of Fine Arts, Thrissur, and Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Vadodara, Gujarat, graduating in 2020. He has participated in many significant exhibitions, including his most recent solo exhibition 'Salts from Many Seas' at Emami Art in 2024. Ali Akbar was selected by an eminent jury for the first award at the annual all-India open call awards and exhibition, IMAGINARIUM 2.0 at Emami Art Kolkata 2022, and he participated in the IMAGINARIUM 3.0 Residency at Emami Art in 2024.
He currently resides and works in Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Anjan Modak
Anjan Modak was born in 1982 in West Bengal, India. He studied Painting at Rabindra Bharati University, graduating in 2009. He has been the subject of two solo shows, 'Fragmented Life' (2020) and 'Black, White and More' (2016), held at Emami Art, Kolkata and a duo show, 'Between the Self and Silhouettes', curated by Adip Dutta at Emami Art (Kolkata, 2022). His works are concerned with the migrant city workers and dreams and despairs of their lives.
Anjan Modak lives and works in Kolkata.
Arindam Chatterjee
Arindam Chatterjee was born in Kolkata and studied Painting at the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, and Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. He has since exhibited nationally and internationally, with several solo shows in India, the last being ‘Not a Dream, Not Peace, Not Love’ at Emami Art, Kolkata (2024).
His work primarily concerns the human condition, brute facts, and violence of our time.
Arpita Akhanda
Arpita Akhanda was born and brought up in a family of artists who migrated from Bangladesh during the partition and moved through many locations in India before settling in Cuttack, Odisha. She completed her B.F.A & M.F.A, in painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, 2015 & 2017.
She was a part of many exhibitions and art fairs, including Art Dusseldorf 2024 and 2023, Germany; AAIE Center for Contemporary Art (2022 – 23), Rome, Italy; AD Design show 2022, Mumbai, India; Kunstraum Aarau, Switzerland; Artissima Contemporary Art 2021, Torino, Italy and many more. Akhanda has performed at various international art spaces, including The Prince Claus Fund Biennial Symposium 2023, Sri Lanka; K21, Dusseldorf, Germany; Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2023; India Art Fair 2022, New Delhi, India. She is a recipient of Jan Van Eyck Residency 2022-23, Netherlands; 2022-23- Prince Claus Seed Fund; India Art Fair Artist in Residence 2022, New Delhi, India; Inlaks Fine Art Award 2022; Artist in Residence program 2021 Gästeatelier Krone, Aarau, Switzerland and many national scholarships and awards.
Her works are on view at the permanent collection show at K20 Museum Kunstsammlung, Nordrhein-Westfalen. She recently completed her residency projects at Jester, Genk in Belgium and the Hampi Arts Lab Residency at Hampi, Karnataka.
She is currently based in Kyoto, Japan, as part of the residency program at the Kyoto Art Center.
Arunima Choudhury
Arunima Choudhury was born in 1950 In Siliguri, West Bengal and studied Painting at the Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship and Design and Mass Communication at Chitrabani, Kolkata, between 1970 and 1978. Working primarily with vegetable colours on handmade paper, she is known for her works depicting the languid world of nature and human beings, their intimacy and coexistence. She has participated in several solo and group exhibitions and, most recently, is the subject of The Dark Edge of Green solo show at Emami Art (Kolkata 2022).
Arunima Choudhury lives and works in Kolkata.
Bholanath Rudra
Born in Kolkata in 1984, Bholanath Rudra studied painting at Rabindra Bharati University, graduating in 2013. He is a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists, Kolkata, which he joined in 2019.
His work has been featured in many group exhibitions, including Hub India – Maximum Minimum at Artissima (Torino, Italy, 2021); ‘All That is Hidden’ at Emami Art (2024); ‘Freedom: From Despair to Dream’ at Aakriti Art Gallery (Kolkata, 2022), ‘Fluid Boundaries’ and ‘Insights’ at Emami Art, Kolkata (2020) among others. Bholanath was an artist in residence at the Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation in collaboration with Emami Art Residency (Sept-Oct, 2022). His recent solo show, ‘Pensive Moons’ was held at Emami Art in 2024.
Bholanath Rudra lives and works in Kolkata.
Lalit Mohan Sen
Lalit Mohan Sen was born in 1898 in Shantipur, Nadia. Growing up in a family associated with the famous traditional textile industries of Shantipur, he enrolled in the Shantipur Municipal High School, but, due to the sudden outbreak of malaria, moved to Lucknow in 1909. Sen enrolled in the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, established in 1911 under its first principal Nathaniel Herd. In 1925, on a government fellowship, Lalit Mohan Sen went to London to study at the Royal College of Art under its Principal, renowned artist Sir William Rothenstein. He earned a Diploma in painting and a certificate in wood engraving from the RCA. A member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, Lalit Mohan Sen, took training in various graphic art mediums under the guidance of the celebrated etcher Malcolm Osborne. After returning to India from England, he rejoined the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, as Superintendent of Drawing Teacher’s Training and continued to teach there.
His recent survey-scale exhibition, ‘An Enduring Legacy: Lalit Mohan Sen, was held at Emami Art in 2023.
A versatile artist and teacher, Lalit Mohan Sen passed away in Lucknow in 1954.
Prasanta Sahu
Prasanta Sahu was born 1968 in Odisha, India, and studied Painting at Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati and MS University, Baroda, graduating in 2000. Sahu has shown his work widely within and outside the country and participated in numerous workshops and residencies. His recent solos include Anatomy of a Vegetable: Ruminations on Fragile Ecosystems at Kochi Muziris Biennale 2022-23.
Prasanta Sahu lives and works in Santiniketan, India.
Santanu Debnath
Santanu Debnath, born in 1995 in Betpukur, a village in West Bengal, completed his BFA and MFA in Painting from the Rabindra Bharati University and Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, respectively. He has participated in several group shows, ‘100 Yuva Sumbhava’, Raza Foundation (2022), ‘Imaginarium1.0’ at Emami Art, Kolkata (2021) and many more. He is the recipient of the prestigious Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Scholarship (2020-2021).
He received the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant in 2024. Debnath recently concluded a three-month Monsoon Residency at Space Studio Baroda. He is a part of the ongoing exhibition ‘There are Tides in the Body’ at Emami Art.
Santanu Debnath lives and works in Betpukur and Kolkata.
Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri
Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri was born in 1944 in West Bengal and studied Applied Arts at the Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta, graduating in 1966. He also took training in design under Helena Perheentupa, a Finnish Designer at NID, Ahmedabad and Graphic Art under Geoffrey Bowman at San Jose State University, California. He has been the subject of several solo shows in India and abroad, including his latest, ‘The Dream of an Idiot’, at Emami Art, Kolkata. He was part of ‘Fragments of Our Time’, British Textile Biennial 2023, UK.
Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri lives and works in Santiniketan.
Soma Das
Soma Das was born in 1979 in Kolkata, West Bengal and studied Painting at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, graduating in 2009. Working in the detailed, placid styles of miniature Painting, she portrays in her work the life of working people, primarily women from humble economic backgrounds. She has been the subject of the solo show Different Facets of Life at Gallery Nakshatra, Kolkata, 2010 and the major duo group show Between Selves and Silhouettes at Emami Art (Kolkata, 2022). She was selected as an artist in residence at the Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation in collaboration with Emami Art Residency (2022). She recently completed the residency program at the Hampi Art Labs for the October – December (2024) session.
Soma Das lives and works in Kolkata.
Suman Dey
Suman Dey, born in 1981 in Kolkata, is a contemporary artist based in Kolkata. Largely self-taught, he works in the language of abstract art, distilling the visible form into an abstract motif. Suman Dey has exhibited widely in several group and solo shows in India. He was the subject of his recent solo show, The Lost Fragrance of Memory, at Emami Art.
Suman Dey is a part of the ongoing exhibition, ‘There are Tides in the Body’ at Emami Art. Suman lives and works in Kolkata, India.
Tapas Biswas
Tapas Biswas, born in 1972 in West Bengal, is a noted contemporary sculptor based in Kolkata. He studied Visual Arts at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, graduating in 2000. Biswas has been the subject of solo shows at Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata and Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad. In addition, his work has been featured in numerous significant group exhibitions in India, Singapore, France and Sweden, including ‘Fluid Boundaries’ (2020) and ‘Ekkhan’ (2024) at Emami Art Gallery, Kolkata.
Tapas Biswas lives and works in Kolkata.
Ujjal Dey
Ujjal Dey was born in 1992 in Ranchi, India. He is a contemporary textile artist pursuing a doctorate from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. He studied textile and design at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, graduating in 2017. He was part of ‘Fragments of Our Time’, British Textile Biennial 2023, UK. His recent solo show, ‘Dawn to Dusk: A Silent Symphony’ was at Emami Art.
Ujjal Dey lives and works in Santiniketan, West Bengal.
About Emami Art
Emami Art is a prominent contemporary art gallery and cultural production space located on the ground floor of the Kolkata Centre for Creativity’s Green Building. Established in 2017, it adopts a forward-looking, multi-dimensional approach that reflects South Asia's history, socio-cultural, and geo-political narratives. Emami Art operates within an inclusive framework where profitability supports sustainable resource regeneration and public service.
The gallery features a dynamic program of curated exhibitions, ranging from large-scale presentations to more intimate displays. It actively participates in both national and international events and art fairs. Emami Art represents a wide spectrum of contemporary artists, including emerging, mid-career, and established talents, with a special emphasis on the East and North Eastern regions of India. Several of its artists’ works are featured in prominent national and international collections, including public foundations and museums.
A key initiative is the annual Emami Art Experimental Film Festival, which provides a platform for alternative and experimental filmmaking, video art, and moving image practices. This festival brings together internationally acclaimed artists and filmmakers alongside recent critical productions from India.
Through short- and long-term projects, Emami Art supports the local and regional arts community by offering regular mentorship programs, workshops, residency opportunities, and innovative educational activities. These initiatives foster artistic development, build collaborative networks, and provide a supportive environment for emerging talent. The gallery also organizes regular talks, seminars, panel discussions, and conversations with artists, curators, and key partners, creating a space for critical engagement.
Committed to promoting a regional, national, and international agenda, Emami Art emphasizes community engagement, socially relevant initiatives, and institutional partnerships. With a multi-year vision for the future, it continues to be a catalyst for change, research, innovation, and inclusivity.
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Date: 16 December -2024
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