Sanjeev Sinha
1963 - 2020
Sanjeev Sinha was born in 1963 in Barh, in the Indian state of Bihar, and graduated from the College of Arts & Crafts Patna. He moved from Patna to Lucknow, and in the 90’s, he chose Delhi to be his permanent residence. Sanjeev Sinha played a prominent role in the young Bihari art generation, which emerged in the 80’s and since then he has exhibited his works in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Lucknow, Bangladesh, and Turkey. In 1991, he was the first artist of his generation to have won the National Academy Award.
Sinha’s work is strongly rooted in Indian culture. He formed his own visual language incorporating Hindu and Buddhist mythologies with his personal reflections on society.
“In my early works I tried to capture silence because the world was full of war. War still rages on. So what can I do? I can show peace in front of this situation. If there is a fire I can put water on it, something against the situation. All the time, every time you can see people dying. Some religious fights, civil war, political war, that’s why I try to paint only peace."
- Sanjeev Sinha, from an interview conducted in 1993 by Els Reijnders (director FIA) during his exhibition in the gallery in Amsterdam.
Sanjeev Sinha (1990)
He and She
Private collection Amsterdam
Sanjeev Sinha (1990)
My illusion-disillusion fantasy room
Collection Municipal Museum Arnhem
Photo: Marc Pluim
His early works from the 90’s are more subdued; mainly consisting of one or two figures composed of tiny brushstrokes on an almost monochrome canvas.
In 1991, Sinha was part of a group show in the Municipal Museum in Arnhem, Netherlands,. The exhibition ”Nine Contemporary Indian Artist” received much acclaim and was composed from the collection of the former Dutch ambassador in India, Eegje Schoo.
Whereas these works have muted colors Sinha, being a true colorist, started using bright colors and even gold pigments soon after.
Sanjeev Sinha (1999)
Private collection Abcoude
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Sanjeev Sinha (1999)
Private collection Abcoude
In 2013, Sinha made a series of works with the title Gentle Bite. These canvases are overloaded with different stylistic approaches layered on the same canvas; a fastly undefined white painted figure surrounded or covered by realistic painted roses or matchsticks. In another canvas, he knows to place the ferocity of Goddess Kali next to a Barbie doll.
Sanjeev Sinha (2013)
Gentle Bite VI
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Sanjeev Sinha (2013)
Gentle Bite V
With his independent approach towards a style he also could freely move between different approaches towards compositions. He could as easily paint a flat stylized buddha shape dominating the majority of the canvas as well as a hut almost as a frame to create an emotionally charged situation within. These are not opposites but he moved back and forth during his career choosing both sides of the coin with the same persuasiveness.
Sanjeev Sinha (2001)
Private collection
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Sanjeev Sinha (1999)
Private collection Amsterdam
The sculptures he made relate strongly to his paintings. They are intimate created worlds with the grandeur of a statue playing with your interpretation of size.They resemble big tea cups with enlarged handles. The handles are decorated with glitters and mirrors, common in Indian daily life. The ‘cups’ are made from stainless steel wire and filled with coal. On top of the cups, he compiles situations ranging from self made clay figures to ready-mades, toys and religious items. These items are casted in aluminum and galvanized or painted.
Sanjeev Sinha
Pathless Land (19-20)
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Sanjeev Sinha
Pathless Land (19-20)
In 2006, Sanjeev got the idea of an artist initiative, Buddha Enlightened Art & World Peace, the first international site-specific event in Bodh Gaya on a Unesco world heritage site in Bihar, India. With the concept of world peace in mind he considered this to be the ultimate place for this project. Thirty-one artists, from all over the world, came to Bihar to be part of this initiative. Buddha Enlightened generated a contemporary multicultural synergy in the traditional Buddhist pilgrimage town, a place not associated with contemporary art. Since then, Sinha together with his partner Dianne Hagen (an artist from the Netherlands) organized Buddha Enlightened two more times. The last was in 2017 with 11 international artists creating (semi) permanent sculptures in the Maya Sarovar park in Bodh Gaya.
Sanjeev Sinha’s works are in numerous public and private collections in India and abroad. He is the winner of the National Academy Award in 1991, the Bihar State Award and the U.P. State Award in 1987
Contact Us
Sanjeev Sinha Foundation
info@sanjeevsinha.foundation
#205, 2nd Floor, Capital T, Fraser Road Patna G.P.O, Phulwari Patna, Bihar, 800001 India
+919811717063
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