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Artist's Profile
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| Basuki Dasgupta |
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Basuki Dasgupta's childhood was highly fabricated by the lyrical intimacy of a terracotta temple. He shared his joys and frustrations, love and loneliness with the rhythm of terracotta, and the mysterious patterns of temple architecture. His child hood memories' reverberate with the sounds of solitude, broken every now and then with the squeaks of squirrels and screeches of bats. He is highly nostalgic of 'those' days at the corridors of terracotta temples.
He is from Bishnupur, West Bengal a town renowned for its terracotta temples. His entry as a student of fine arts, into the open and free environs of Santiniketan, in the year 1987, gave him an opportunity to explore his inner expressions in various forms of art. It was here, he started realising 'art' and its integral relationship with life. Different forms of art like visual and performing, music-folk and classical, he experienced before, now started having more meaning and significance, guide efficiently by his Guru Jogen da, Sanat da, Suhas da, Sarbari da, Nanda da, Lalu da, Somnath da.
He completed his Fine arts degree in the year 1992 and started his first lesson on mural painting from K.G. Subramanyan. As a student of Master's degree (1992- 94) in Mural, he started to get a clear vision of the term 'wall' visible or invisible. He believes art has the spiritual dimension that can help one to transcend this 'wall' between man and nature - man and god. This idea is reflected in his everyday interactions with fellow beings of all ages, classes and sexes.
He joined the Birla Academy (Swar Sangam) teaching painting and Art History and participated in several art exhibitions. He was engaged with different stage experiments and executed murals at Santiniketan, Kolkata, Dehradun, Durgapur and his hometown Bishnupur and its surrounding villages.
Thereafter he began teaching at a school in Tumkur (1997). Though it took time to understand the language of children, he got a platform and supportive environment to experiment and develop his visual language along with that of his students. Working with children has been an enriching experience. Their simplicity and the ease with which they express ideas, without inhibitions and binding, has opened new doors, giving more meaning to his thoughts and the courage to come out of restricting norms, and experiment with expressions hitherto untried and unknown.
He believes the concept of 'Durga - Mahishasura' are not merely a part of mythology, but is very much a concept of 'today'. It is an expression of the faith, of triumph of good over evil. Durga - the modern day representation of compassion, truth and magnanimity in short life itself as against Mahishasura - the representation of greed, self and ego. The interplay of texture on rough surface of canvas ground reflects the present day's complexity of human relationships, that could be so simple and easy, yet is an effort, an attempt and a struggle to hold on tight, for fear of losing and of letting go. As an artist who loves to dabble in music, he carries his mandolin singing loudly in the pattern of Bengali folk singers and sometimes becomes very silent..... Silent to listen to the rhythm of emptiness; the sound of bats and squirrels on a quiet midday, in the temple corridors of Bishnupur.
EDUCATION:
• Graduated in B. Fine, Painting from Visva Bharati, Santiniketan – 1992
• Post Graduation in M. Fine-Mural Painting
• Murals executed in various medium (Jaipuri, Italian & Pompai Fresco, Egg & Casein Tempera, Terracotta, Cement & Sand Casting, Metal & Mixed Media etc.) at Santiniketan, Kolkata, Dehradun, Durgapur & Bishnupur
EXHIBITIONS OF PAINTING:
• 1993 - Birla Academy, Kolkata
• 1994 - Birla Academy, Kolkata
• 1994 - Open Air Exhibition at Birla Academy, Kolkata
• 2003 - Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore
• Solo - Fluid Space, Bangalore
• 2005 - Solo Show at Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
• 2006 - Group Show at Renaissance Art Gallery, Bangalore
• 2006 - Group Show at Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
• 2007 - Solo Show at Kynkyny Art Gallery, Bangalore
Collection of Painting - Birla Academy & several private collections
Organizing and Conducting several Art Workshop for children and adults
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