Chittrovanu Mazumdar

One of the well known Bengal-based Indian modern and contemporary artists, Chittrovanu Mazumdar’s conceptual art and symbolism meets the poststructuralism and postcolonial discourse. Born 1956 in Paris, Mazumdar is the son of renowned artist Nirode Mazumdar, one of the co-founders of Calcutta Group, and his French mother, Marguerite Mazumdar. Spending his childhood in the rural zone of Kolkata, he was already exposed to art while later training at the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta.

Mazumdar practises paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media installations. Developing an extensive vocabulary, his paintings are rich in bold brushstrokes, often collaging with figurative and heterogeneous cutouts. These renditions create an enigmatic drama, which is undaunting and brutally honest. Possessing several cross-boundary influences, Mazumdar uses creative figuration as symbols in his expressions. The representation of form and its content alters with his new works, enabling several meanings to come to the surface. Do these raw forms speak to us a defined narrative? Or are they visual illustrations of Mazumdar’s mental notes?

Mazumdar artworks are not limited to common occurrences and mystical concepts. They delve into the fundamentals of colours, which are capable of connecting with the laity. Hence, they unnervingly follow an expressionist style. More importantly, his recent installations do not limit to smaller spaces but occupy entire rooms. Employing technology in sound and light, Mazumdar also uses a myriad of materials like tar, mercury coated cups, aluminium reflectors, rubber, wood, wax, engine oil, brocaded textile, masonry, gold, iron, steel, and many others.

Also, he designed books and performance spaces in collaboration with Seagull Foundation and theatre company, respectively, in the past. Mazumdar has exhibited at many galleries of world-commercial cities like Dubai, New York, Paris, Rome, Salzburg, among others. His paintings are collected by NGMA, New Delhi, Seagull Foundation, and international private collections.

Chittrovanu Mazumdar lives and works in Kolkata, India.