Kalam Patua, born 1962
Kalam Patua is an Indian artist who has reinvigorated and, in doing so, reinvented Kalighat painting in India today.
His work can be deceptive, seemin...
Kalam Patua, born 1962
Kalam Patua is an Indian artist who has reinvigorated and, in doing so, reinvented Kalighat painting in India today.
His work can be deceptive, seemingly playful and charming. However, Patua is a profound observer and his paintings are anything but decorative. Like the great paintings of the Kalighat tradition, Patua’s efforts are edgy, tantalizing, and subversive. He is provocative, insightful, and his response to the Kalighat tradition is astute.
In India today there are many artists making reproductions of traditional Kalighat painting. Patua’s paintings have nothing in common with these works. His paintings are truly original and contemporary expressions. He has taken the conceptual aspects of Kalighat art and reinterpreted them, making Kalighat vital and relevant in the present.
Patua’s works have been exhibited in India and abroad. In 2004, he participated along with Amit Ambablal, Manit Bawa, and Ravinder Reddy in an exhibition held in New Delhi, “The Margi & The Desi”.