Biography
Arunanshu's early experiences in art making go back to his childhood spent with his grandmother making little sculptures with kneaded dough in the kitchen.
His mother being an artist and an art teacher, it was common for him to paint for pleasure at home and enhance his skills as time went by. However, he never intended to take up art education, but it just happened.
He came to Baroda Fine Arts from Patna, knowing that this was the place here he would be the closest to his dreams to pursue his passion in art as his full time career.
With time his works moved from traditional water colours to bold strokes on large canvases using images from various sources. He continues to experiment with mixed media and also sculptures and has created some works on very ambitious scales with subjects surround his city, current political environment and personal life.
Bio-Data
- 1969 >> Born in W. Bengal (Hoogli)
- 1993-95 >> B.A. (Fine) & M.A. (Fine), Painting, M.S. University, Vadodara
Solo Shows
- 2017 >> SHEER LAYERS UNCOVER THE TRUTH",Tao art gallery, Mumbai.
- 2014 >> A TREE IN MY BACKYARD", Tao art gallery, Mumbai.
- 2011 >> BETWEEN THIN LINES”, Tao art gallery, Mumbai
- 2010 >> GLOBALIZED SYMBOLISM”, Sarah Khan Contemporary art gallery, Switzerland/ Lichtenstein
- 2008 >> WIND IN THE WILLOWS”, Anant art gallery, New Delhi
- 2007-08 >>“PROBABILITIES OF OCCURRING”, Samukha art gallery, Bangalore, in alliance with Guild art gallery.
- 2007 >> BUT, ARE WE READY TO ALTER?” Red Earth galleries, Vadodara .
- 2006 >> SIMMER inaugural show at Bagash art gallery, Dubai, in alliance with Guild art gallery.
- 2005 >> PALIMPSEST – a journey through time”, Anant art gallery, New Delhi.
- 2001 >> FALLING-UP”, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai.
- 2000 >> VENEERED IMAGES”, Prithvi Gallery, Mumbai.
- 1998 >> CONSIDERING THE FORGOTTEN”, Nazar Art Gallery, Vadodara.
- 1997 >> PORTRAYING THE FAMILIAR”, Triveni, New Delhi. : “BEYOND VISIONS”, Mumbai.
Selected Group Shows
- 2016>> "THE NEW COLLECTION", at Time and Space gallery, Bangalore.
THE BIRD PROJECT", a myriad of bird imageries by various artists at Open Studio, Vadodara.
"FIELD OF INQUIRY - The SAGAI FOREST", expressions on paper post camp in the Sagai forest, south of Gujarat, at Open Studio, Vadodara
"NEW SPACE", Nazar art gallery, Vadodara - 2015 >> INDIA ON CANVAS- EDITION 4" auction in aid of Khushi foundation at New Delhi.
VADFEST", cultural festival at Vadodara. - 2014>> Wish-a Teddy", in ad of Make-a-wish foundation, Mumbai.
EVOLVE", Anniversary show at Tao art gallery, Mumbai
PINK FILLY" charity show for cancer cause by Art and Soul gallery, Mumbai
BARODA MARCH " , Museum gallery by Rukshaan Arts, Mumbai - 2013 >> Web of water", a travelling project by Artcore, Derby, England.
- 2012 >> Art for Humanity”, Charity show for Citizens for Peace, Mumbai
Art Bengalaru” auction at Bangalore art festival, Bengalaru
Art auction at New Delhi, for the cause of Plan India, girl child project.B Seventy", show to commemorate Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday
B Seventy", show to commemorate Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday - 2011 >> Divine Stroke”, tribute to Sachin and Team India – world cup 2011, Sarjan art gallery, Vadodara.
Fly, Baroda, Fly”, show to commemorate the Vadodara Marathon, Red Earth art gallery, Vadodara
To Japan, from Baroda”, fundraiser for the Japan Tsunami victims, Faculty of Fine Arts - 2010 >> Amongst the Others”, Museum art gallery, by Osmosis , Mumbai.
Auction by Samsara Art gallery to raise funds for Jai Veekal School, Mumbai.
Paschim-Dakshin”, Emami Chisel gallery, curated by Archana Roy, Kolkata - 2009 >> Vicissitudes of the Constructed image”, Tangerine Art Space, Bangalore.
Hot Shots “, Viewing Room, Mumbai. - 2008 >> Beijing International Art Fair, China, represented by Guild art gallery
Trends and Trivia” at Hong Kong, by Art Konsult, New Delhi.
Bharat”, New York Academy of art, New York, by Tao art gallery in association with IFFA
Miniature Format Show”, Sans Tache art gallery, Mumbai
Black and White”, Tao art gallery, Mumbai - 2007 >> CONTEMPORARY ART OF INDIA, at UENO-ROYAL MUSEUM-Tokyo Japan by IFFA in association with Tao art gallery
Art for Concern”, charity auction for Concern India, at Bangalore.
POINTS OF REFERENCE” artists from Baroda at Art and Soul, Mumbai.
BEYOND CREDOS” show of Baroda artists at Birla Academy, Kolkata, curated by Shivji Pannikar. - 2006 >> CONTEMPORARY ART IN INDIA” at Lasselles gallery, Singapore in association with IFFA and Tao art gallery
Art Auction, organized by World Wide Media and Tao art gallery, for cancer patients, Mumbai.
Art Auction for Concern India organized by Art & Soul art gallery, Singapore.
“Evam”, a chartity show in support of the Company Theatre, Mumbai. - 2005 >> METAMORPHOSIS”, show of Baroda artists at Asian Cultural Centre, New York.
Way’s of seeing”, curated by Sushma Behl, at Habitat Center by Art Alive, N. Delhi - 2004 >> Group show of 5 artists at Gallery Espace, New Delhi.
TRIBUTE TO BHUPEN KHAKAR”, Tao art gallery, Mumbai
GENERATION-I” by Guild and Saffronart.com at Saffron gallery, Mumbai - 2003 >> MELANGE” Group Show at Asian Cultural Centre, New York, U.S.A.
EMERGING AND EMERGED” art Auction by OSIANS, Mumbai
ACROSS THE THRESHOLD” by Artcore Art Gallery at San Francisco, U.S.A.
WORDS AND IMAGES” Annual Show by Guild Art Gallery at NGMA, Mumbai. - 2002 >> VOICES AGAINST VIOLENCE”, artists against communalism, M.S.U, Vadodara.
AUCTION by BOWRING & GALLERY ESPACE, at New Delhi.
THE BANYAN CITY” Vadodara Artists at Nazar Art Gallery, Vadodara. - 2001 >> SEAMLESS” at Nazar Art Gallery, Vadodara.
ENGENDERING” (of the female figurative form) Group Show at Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
SIMILARITIES-DISSIMILARITIES”, Artists from the West Zone, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai.
NUDES”, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai.
CARRY ON DRAWING”, an international travelling show of drawings, U.S.A.
Group Show of contemporary Indian Art at Hong Kong organized by Guild Art
Gallery, Mumbai. - 2000 >> KUNST & BROT” (Art & Bread) at Hamburg, Germany.
ANONYMOUSLY YOURS”, at British Council & Lakeeren, Mumbai. - 1996-00 >> “MINIATURE FORMAT SHOW”,Sans Tache gallery, Mumbai.
- 1997 >> GIFT FOR INDIA” at Sahmat, India
FRESH WORKS” at Birla Academy, Mumbai - 1996 >> “STAIRCASE FULL OF DREAMS” a joint show at Prithvi Gallery, Mumbai.
- 1995 >> Participated in an art auction organized by V.S.P.C.A., Vadodara.
- 1994 >> Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
- 1993 >> Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S.U., Vadodara. “Raising fund for Earthquake victims”, M.S.U, Vadodara.
WorkShops
- 2009>> Artist Residency at Shaan, Lichenstein, by Sarah Khan Contemporary Art
Art camp at Drupad International school of Music, Bhopal by Gundecha Brothers. - 2008-04 >> Participated in several camps and workshops in India and abroad.
Terra- Kota plates workshop at Indore by Past- Modern, Baroda.Glass painting workshop at Space studios, Baroda. - 2003>> Printmaking workshop, based on the Vadodara Heritage Walk, conducted by Chapp, Baroda.
Train- painting project to commemorate the World Social Forum 2004, held in Mumbai.
Awards
- 1995>> The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, Canada.
Ravi Jain Foundation Award, New Delhi.
The Beginning
When Arunanshu arrived in Baroda he already carried with him a skill naturally inherited from observing his mothers paintings. He painted in watercolours with ease following the wash technique of masters like Nandalal Bose and Abanindranath Tagore. However, when he got admission at Fine Arts in M.S.U. he knew that the language here was very different and individuality and a contemporary attitude in art was highly encouraged. Slowly under the guidance of his teachers and artists like Gulam Sheikh, Jyoti Bhatt, Bhupen Khakkar and Vasudevan Akittam, it was not long till he got confident in a bold new language of expression with spontaneity and vigor. In this transition process, all that he had learnt from before did not go waste. In fact, it was what helped him to arrive at the language that he is identified with from his post graduate years onwards.
Fluid layers of colours, accomplished drawings, delicate precision of images surrounded in a mist-like effect were all influences of his early water colours done in wash technique. He made some prominent works in the 5 years between college and after, like " Old man with landscape" (1995), "Behind the screen" (1995), "Erosion"(1998), "Resounding Episodes" (2000) to name a few.
The Start
WAs early as in his 3rd year, Arunanshu had started exhibiting in large group shows taking every opportunity he got to display his works. Getting a feedback on his works from those who were not part of his existing fraternity and learning from them gave him confidence and a different perspective. However, his real big break was the fist show with Prithvi gallery jointly with artist Heeral Trivedi. Titled, "Staircase full of dreams", this show was where both the artists were launched into the art world of Mumbai. And subsequently it led to a series of shows that followed with major galleries in Mumbai like The Guild and Tao art gallery and Espace and Anant art gallery in New Delhi.