Arpana Kaur
About
Arpana Kauris a highly acclaimed contemporary Indian artist. Her solo exhibitions apart from Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore and Chennai have been organized in art galleries of London, Glasgow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Munich, New York and in Stockholm and Copenhagen.
Arpana Kaur was born on 4thSeptember, 1954 in New Delhi. She was brought up in an environment that was highly rich in art and music. She spent her college years studying literature; as an artist, she is basically self-made person. Her paintings can be observed as continuation of the line of work once begun by Amrita Sher-Gil. She had been the key artist behind the creation of 2006calendarof Sikhpoint.com.
Education & Work
In 1975, she completed her Master’s degree in Literature from Delhi University. Arpana Kaur did her research grant in Painting, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in 1984-85. In 1979, she got herself enrolled in Greater London Council Grant for Advanced Study in Painting, St. Martin School of Art, and London; however couldn’t complete the course.
As a self-taught painter, Arpana was majorly inspired by her mother's writings, Punjabi folk literature, the Pahari miniature tradition and Indian folk-art motifs. Her art is a downright reflection of her individual experiences, influenced by local and world events.
Arpana’s paintings typically reflect to the surroundings and largely the key events of her life, from the crowded Patel Nagar of her childhood to events, such as the rape of Maya Tyagi and the widows of the Chasnala mining disaster.
She majorly participated in numerous of group exhibition, including Women: Sacred and the Temporal', Shrishti Art Gallery, Hyderabad; Masters Ltd: Limited Editions', Gallery Beyond, Mumbai; Masterclass', Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi; 'Aureus 2011', GallerieNvya, New Delhi; 10 x 10', Gallery Threshold, New Delhi; 'The Living Insignia', Gallery Ensign, New Delhi; 'Mark of Masters-2', Art and Soul, Mumbai; 'Sacred and Secular', India Fine Art, Mumbai; 'Think Small', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi; 'Kalpana: Figurative Art in India', presented by The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at Aicon Gallery, London; The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR); 'DusMahavidyas: Ten Creative Forces', presented by Gallerie Nvya at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi; 'Baisakh 08', Polka Art Gallery, New Delhi; Polyphonies’, Gallery Hosp, Tirol – Österreich, Austria; 'First Person Narrative', Hasta Gallery, Hyderabad, to name a few.
Arpana Kauralso actively organized solo exhibitions, including Abstract Figuration', Gallery Veda, Chennai; Indigo Blue Art, Singapore; Mahua Gallery, Bangalore; Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi; Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai; Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi; ‘Rites of Time’, Bose Pacia Modern, New York; Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata; Foundation for Indian Artists Gallery, Amsterdam; Rabindra Bhavan Gallery, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen; Ethnographic Museum, Stockholm, Sweden, to name a few.
Awards and Accolades
Arpana Kaurhas been conferred with Research Grant from Lalit Kala Academy for painting in Garhi Studio, New Delhi in 1984; All India Fine Arts Society Award in 1985; Commendation Certificate in Algiers Biennele in 1986 and VI Triennele Gold Medal for Painting (International exhibition) in 1987. She was even awarded with Gold Medal for Painting, 6th Triennale, Lalit Kala Akademi, and New Delhi. She had been one of the key Jury Member in a National Exhibition that was held in New Delhi and advisory committee member at National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi, Lalit Kala Acadmey, and Sahitya Kala Parishad.