Jayashree Chakravarty, born in Khoai, Tripura in 1956, is deeply influenced by her upbringing amidst the natural beauty of Santiniketan. She pursued her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Viswa Bharati and later obtained her postgraduate diploma from the MS University of Baroda, where she was exposed to urban sensibilities. During her residency in Aix en Provence from 1993-95, she was influenced by the French movement Supports/Surfaces, particularly by Claude Viallat.
Growing up in Kolkata, Jayashree witnessed the transformation of her surroundings from lush landscapes to concrete jungles. This transition greatly informs her artwork, where she skillfully merges old and new cityscapes. Her paintings often feature elements like birds, broken windows, and brick walls emerging from mossy hues and mouldy textures.
Innovating her own art-making techniques using organic materials and various types of papers, Jayashree's installations in the form of paper scrolls are truly unique. Her works are autobiographical and dream-like, with ink sketches on paper transitioning personal experiences into mystical truths.
Jayashree experiments with a diverse range of media, including rice paper, tissue, and cellophane. Her superimposed forms echo the sketches of cave painters, reflecting the fluidity of the present world. At a deeper level, her works convey the unity of humanity with nature, often featuring motifs like dogs, waves, and crescent shapes.
Throughout her career, Jayashree has received numerous accolades, including the Gujarat Lalit Kala Akademi Award and the Second Bharat Bhavan Biennale Award. She continues to live and work in Kolkata, leaving an indelible mark on the contemporary art scene.
[2:01 pm, 23/4/2024] Shweta Tripathi: Sanket Viramgami employs the techniques of miniature painting and Kantha art. He earned his BVA and MVA in Painting from M S University, Baroda in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Sanket Viramgami's current series of paintings are infused with a romantic eclecticism, representing a postmodern tapestry of contemporary times. The anachronistic promiscuity operates on multiple levels, visible not only in the juxtaposition of subjects from various periods but also in the blending of different aesthetic idioms and techniques. One can discern the fusion of artistic conventions from miniaturist traditions, notably the Persian school, with elements from traditional Indian crafts like Kantha and what seems to be the Gond visual language.
His canvases are adorned with tales from the folk stories of 20th-century Gujarati social-reformer and poet Jhaverchand Meghani, overlaid with modern-day counterparts. These visual excerpts, ranging from mythical to realistic, coexist on the same plane, reflecting a historical consciousness that offers a stereoscopic vision of our present intertwined with memories of the past.
Sanket's works have been featured in various exhibitions, including 'Cartography of Narratives' at LATITUDE 28, Bikaner House, New Delhi (2019); Kochi Muziris Biennale, Vis-à-Vis Art Foundation, Kochi (2018-2019); River City Group Show, Bangkok (2018); CIMA Art Gallery, Kolkata (2017); Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2017); Sakshi Art Gallery (2017); Gallery Espace, Delhi (2016); 'The Baroda March' at Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai (2015); Vadodara International Art & Culture Festival (2015); Tao Art Gallery (2015); 'Art for Young Collector II' at Galerie Mirchandani+Steinruecke, Mumbai (2013). He has received The Elizabeth Greenfields Foundation Award (2017); Sanskriti Kala Puraskar National Award (2017); Merit Scholarship Award from M.S University, Baroda (2007–2013); and Jeram Patel Award (2011). He participated in the HuaHin International Contemporary Arts Residency Programme, Thailand (2018) and Harmony Art camp at Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City, Mumbai (2016). He was part of a group show sponsored by Vis-à-vis Studio at Taj Art Gallery, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai (2018).