Ekta Singha
Joint Family
2016
Pigment colour on Wasli paper
22 x 30 in.
Born in 1991, Kolkata, Ekta completed her M.V.A in Painting (Mural) from MSU,Baroda (2015) and BVA from Govt. College of Art and Craft, Kolkata. Currently based in Baroda, she has participated in 7 solo shows and many group exhibitions in India and abroad. Important solos include Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (2010), Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata (2009); some group shows of note are ‘Tayekhana’ at Art Centrix, New Delhi (2017), 1st Karnataka Lalit Kala Annual Exhibition, Bangalore (2017), 58th National Art Exhibition of Lalit Kala Akademi, NGMA Bangalore (2017), etc. She has received a number of prestigious awards including Bombay art society award (2014), Atul Bose Memorial award (2011), Gold medal in PARAMPARA- the annual exhibition of Govt art college Kolkata (2009). She has also won many International awards from countries like Egypt, U.S.A., Czech Republic and Bulgaria. She was part of Artamp, a residential art camp at Bhutan by Nine Fishes Gallery (2015), National Art Enclave (National Award Camp) with Lalit kala Akademi, Bangalore (2017), Regional art camp by Lalit kala Akademi, Lucknow (2017), ‘New Grammar’ residency curated by Rahul Kumar in ART ICHOL at Maihar, Madhya Pradesh (2017). Her works have been collected by various reputed art collectors and houses like International Children Art Gallery, USA, Chim Galbraith (private collections), Australia, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, East India Council; and by famous personalities such as former US Consulate General Mr. George N. Sibley as well as present US Consulate General Mr. Henry V. Jardine, Pawan Ruia of Ruia Group of Industries and Ritu Beri famous Fashion Designer, India.
Artist Statement
The crux of my work is centred on day to day life. Visual experience of different situations makes its way into the pictorial surface, deriving from personal history, places I have lived or visited, maps, relationships, and coexistence of the old and new (clash of values). All these experiences are depicted as metaphors in my work. I use photographs, texts, prints, found images and designs; and try to juxtapose them in such a way that their familiar contexts break down and a new emotional association emerges.
My familial background has also played as an important source of inspiration for me. Belonging to a royal lineage, its influence in my personal memories has sought a presence in my work. I have never been to my native place, yet all the stories that I have heard from my grandparents makes me imagine and dream about fantastical images in my mind. This has also made me interested in Rajput and Mughal Miniature paintings, and some of these elements have made an entry into my work.
At present, researching everyday objects, their functions and social significance in our life is a part of my process. These include everything from household objects, things I use regularly, room, furniture, houses and traditional and non-traditional objects. I am fascinated by their physical characters and what happens when they are taken out of context and repeated or combined. These elements have their own Individual characters, but when placed together they develop patterns, and it creates a different context in my work; transcending from their original decorative values which were essentially relegated to them. All these create a paradox in my work that plays through the narrative. Repetition of a form enables me to emphasize the image as well as render it as meditative art. The narratives are expressed through multiple layers in my paintings allowing me to juxtapose various experiences from different points of time.
Courtesy of Anant Art