Popular artist, Shuvaprasanna hosted a preview of his recent collection at the Art & Soul Gallery in Mumbai on 25th April, 2022. Present at the Mumbai preview were Ashok De, Arzan Khambatta, Jatin Goswami, after a long hiatus of 12 years. Other celebrities seen included actress Rani Mukherji and socialite Shobha De. Shuvaprasanna’s latest muse has been the great epic, Mahabharata with vividly imagined scenes that leave a profound impact.
Shuvaprasanna says, “The most ancient, and grandest epic of India, Mahabharata chronicles of eternal social life, the battle between gods and demons that is fabulist and mystical, yet modern and real. For years numerous creative minds, researchers and scholars have kept themselves busy in the study of the mystique of this epic.”
This epic not only fuelled creativity for ages, it casts its shadow over contemporary politics, diplomacy, and social conditions. On one hand, its relevance can be discerned in the conflicts of daily life, love, sexuality, and vengeance and on the other hand it is equally apparent in the notions of pure humanitarianism.
“The allure and mysticism of this epoch-making creation that inspired me as an Indian and as a consensual human being, provided the fodder for this series of paintings. While I visualize the abstract forms of all the incidents, the tangible composition of all the places, periods and realms also float in my inner mind. Here I tried to present to you parts of the magic realist canvas that has been a companion in my long walk of life. If my audacious attempt touches you or amazes you, maybe then, I can get closer to my next milestone.”, said Shuvaprasanna
Exhibition dates
Tuesday 26th April to 31st May 2022
Monday to Saturday 10 am to 7.30 pm
Sundays by appointment
Address- 11 Madhuli, Shivsagar Estate
Worli, Mumbai 400018
Tel: 022 24965798 / 24930522
About the Artist : Shuvaprasanna. Shuvaprasanna who hails from the culturally rooted city of Kolkata is a visceral man who paints his inspiration like nostlgia on canvas. Graduated in fine art from the Indian college of Art (Under RB University) Kolkata in 1969. He has had 58 solo exhibitions in India and abroad. Participated in major group exhibitions in India and abroad. Participated in III Asian Art Biennial, Bangladesh; II International Biennial, Havana, Cuba; II International Biennial, Ankara, Turkey; VII International Triennial India, New Delhi; III International Biennial of Prints, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; 6th EME Triennale Mondiale D’Estampes Petit Format 2003 in France.
Some of his paintings were also sent to prestigious auction houses like Christie’s, London; Sotheby’s, New York. Osian’s, Mumbai. He has written, edited, and published several books on art, and literature and is a regular columnist in various newspapers and journals.
He received a number of awards including the AIFACS Award, State LKA Award and Birla Academy Award, and Taj Gaurav award by the Taj Association for Art, Culture & Heritage. Manavata Vikas Award by IIPM. Awarded by West Bengal State Akademi of Dance Drama Music and Visual Arts. Awarded by Ram Mohan Mission, Awarded ‘Banga Vibhushan’ by Govt. of West Bengal, etc. Presently he is an Executive Trustee of Arts Acre Foundation. Also Chairman of West Bengal Heritage Commission, Govt. of West Bengal.
About Gallery Art & Soul- Art & Soul, established in 2003, is a gallery showcasing Indian modern and contemporary arts in the heart of Bombay. Founded by Dr.Tarana Khubchandani, as an extension of her not-for-profit activities, the gallery has pursued a discourse in India and internationally of aesthetic syncretism, producing exhibitions that are varied in genre, materiality, and conceptual thought across art-historical timelines.
Since its inception, Art & Soul has produced a stellar Breast Cancer charity support salon exhibition and gala. Over the last two decades, it has hosted solo exhibitions and retrospectives of artists such as Syed Haider Raza, Manu Parekh, Satish Gupta, Sujata Bajaj, Subhash Awchat, Lalitha Lajmi, Jatin Das, Shuvaprasanna, Vinita Karim, Rithika Merchant, Rabin Mondal, Krishna Reddy, Abdul Aziz Raiba, Subhash Awchat, Yashwant Deshmukh, Ankit Patel, Revati Sharma Singh, Arzan Khambhata, Jin Sook Shinde, Vilas Shinde, Seema Kohli, and Vasant Wankhede.
Apart from the expansive space in the Worli district of Bombay, the gallery has partnered in hosting exhibitions with the National Gallery of Art, Mumbai, India Art Fair, India Habitat Center, CSMVS Museum, Mumbai, Jehangir Art Gallery, Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Clark House Initiative, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum, India Art Festival, The Royal Opera House, Chennai Art Summit and Nehru Centre.
With yearly scholarships for art students, and travel bursaries for artists to the Venice Biennale, Art & Soul has also supported not for profits like the Kala Ghoda Festival, Kochi Muziris Biennale, Clark House Initiative, CSMVS Museum, NGMA, and Sir JJ School of Arts. The gallery has been at the forefront of promoting ceramics as an art form with annual curatorial projects in support of the medium.
The gallery provides a cross-section of artists who work mainly within Modernism and Contemporary Decorative Arts. This focus supports a crucial section of the art ecosystem. The gallery provides consultative services for large-scale acquisitions by collectors privately and for their corporate needs. It also offers investment advice, curatorial expertise, collection management services, and secondary sales to collectors.
The gallery exhibition programming is dynamic and interspersed with senior artist presentations, curated group shows, and debutant solo shows for young artists. Art & Soul is firmly committed to its syncretic vision of art and support for accessible health in the field of cancer research through the umbrella of the Art & Soul Cancer Foundation.
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