About the Artist
Delhi born multidisciplinary artist Ravinder Dutt is self taught. A student of History and hailing from a management background which he finally gave up for the love of art as painting has been an inseparable part of his life. Experimenting with different mediums to express his thoughts has always been a passion for him; starting with water colours, oils, and acrylics - mixed media, digital and installation is what his forte is. As an artist he feels he is always evolving and re-inventing himself where change is the only constant. His visual art practice is greatly inspired by his deep interest in history, culture both tangible and intangible, archaeology, anthropology, museums, theories of reincarnation, magic, thoughts of immortality, memories of the past, legends, partition and migration, stories and experiences lived by him and his progenitors, family album, absorptions of conscious and subconscious mind and is an attempt to de-code mysteries of DNA which holds the vast data spread across generations of an individual. His works also emanate from acquiring an object and rebuilding stories around it. The city of Delhi and the Red Fort becomes muse for the artist and he feels he is wedded to them. Ravinder Dutt's work is nostalgic in nature and contemporizes the institutions and essence of the Mughal Empire and British Raj which once existed, travelling through time as a time traveler. It is also at times a satire on the society though coated in the grandeur of the era. The love for the city of Delhi, the quest for his family roots and the lost monuments can be seen in his works and is a tribute to the culture of the subcontinent. His works also try to find answers whether we are all recycled as living beings. The artist feels that he is 300 years old as he has lived the experiences of the 19th century by way of stories from his elders, was born in the 20th century and living in the contemporary world of technology of the 21st. His works are a culmination of immense research and travel, memories, myths, legends, family albums and most importantly his family history hailing from the cities of Sialkot, Lahore, Srinagar and Delhi; and also talks about the stories of partition. He assumes the role of a time traveler to create his artworks which is an extension of his "being".
b. 1971, Delhi
Education:
1992: History (Hons.), SGTB Khalsa College, North Campus, Delhi University
1993: Diploma in Business Administration, DAV School of Management Studies, Delhi
1993: Diploma in Foreign Trade Management, FTDC, New Delhi
Solo Shows:
2017: Apparao Galleries, New Delhi
2016: Gallery Ragini, Dubai
2014: Gallery Ragini, New Delhi
2013: ICCR, New Delhi
Group Shows:
2019: Art Heritage, “Works of Conscience”, New Delhi
2019: Art Heritage, “The Art Book Exhibition”, New Delhi
2017: Gallery Ragini, New Delhi
2016: Gallery Ragini, “Metropolis Delhi Interpreted” Dubai
2015: Gallery Ragini, “One cake and Ten Candles”, New Delhi
2014: Gallery Ragini, “Oblivious of Boundaries” New Delhi
2014: Gallery Ragini, Contemporary Walk, New Delhi
2014: Gallery Alternatives, Gurgaon
2014: AIFACS, New Delhi
2010: India International Art Fair, Delhi
Art Fairs:
2018: India Art Fair 2018, New Delhi
2017: India Art Fair 2017, New Delhi
2016: India Art Fair 2016, New Delhi
2015: India Art Fair 2015, New Delhi
Awards & National Exhibition Participation:
2016: 29th National Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Hyderabad
2014: AIFACS Award, New Delhi
Talk Show & Lectures:
2017: Talk show “Why Digital”, Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad.
2014: Lectured for INTACH, Gurgaon Chapter for School Children.
Collaborative Workshop:
2017: With Shadow leather puppeteer from Karnataka to create artwork titled “Lost
constellations” Ink on goat skin show at Krishnakriti Art Festival, Hyderabad.
2019: Collaborating with artisans from Tamil Nadu to create terracotta sculptures.