Shyamal Mukherjee is an artist who has spent his entire life in Calcutta, only venturing out to attend showings of his works, and only speaking in Bengali.

In Mukherjee’s work, we see the Bengal School strong figurative tradition being carried ahead and interpreted in a very contemporary idiom. Mukherjee says he loves to travel alone in new places on buses and trains since, “Most of my inspiration comes from observing people.” It’s not surprising that every figure in his body of works has a separate and interesting story to tell. Most of the people Mukherjee paints are performers of some type, putting on an act for everyone else – something all of us do everyday of our lives. Mukherjee’s figures are dressed in the bright, almost gaudy orange, red and green costumes that street performers wear, but their eyes are gazing and drawn, their faces almost cartoon like and their fingers podgy, making the irony and pathos that surrounds them extremely evident. For one of his recent shows in Mumbai, the artist decided to use beggars and street vendors as the subject of his works, essaying their pitiable condition in his trademark style.

The artist also likes to focus on the fact that each individual has a great deal in common with every other one. This is why he paints people in pairs or larger groups, highlighting that though they are physically separate and unlike each other, there is no real difference between their characters and behaviors.

Mukherjee’s favourite medium is reverse oil or acrylic painting on transparent acrylic sheets, and he swears that although he may change his themes and subjects, inventing new ones for new shows, he will never give up painting in this medium. Although Mukherjee loves to paint, he says he has many other hobbies. He teaches children in his spare time, and says that he learns more from them than they realize. He also collects rural artworks and the crafts of Bengali artisans.

(Born 01/01/1961)

MVA Rabindra Bharati University -1989

45 Solo Exhibition and 345 Major Group show

PAINTING EXHIBITIONS :

2018 – GALLERY OF MODERN ART, YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA

2016-INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL CENTRE FOR ARTS, NEW DELHI

2017- LALIT KALA AKADEMI, NEW DELHI

2017- SUHAREKA MUSEUM, KOSOVO, EUROPE 2016- NEPAL ART COUNCIL, KATHMANDU, NEPAL

2016- JDA PERERA ART GALLERY, COLOMBO, SRI LANKA 2016 – NEHRU- WANGCHUCK CULTURAL CENTRE,BHUTAN

2016 – ART HUB ART GALLERY, ABU DHABI & DUBAI, UAE 2015 – DOT ART GALLERY, BANGKOL,THAILAND

2015- ART SHOW, AMERICAN CENTRE, U,S. EMBASSY, INDIA 2014- LALIT KALA AKADEMI,
NEW DELHI

2012 – GUHATI ARTISTS ‘GUILD, GUWAHATI 2004 – SRIMANTA SANKARDEVA
KALAKSHETRA, GHY

2003 – AIFACS & LALIT KALA AKADEMI, NEW DELHI CAMPS / WORKSHOP

2019 – Egypt

2018 – SINGAPUR AND MALAYASIA / RUSSIA 2017 – INTERNATIONAL ART CAMP IN INSTANBUL, TURKEY

2017 – STH INTERNATIONAL ART CAMP, KOSOVO, MONTENEGRO, CROATIA, BOSNIA
HERZEGOVINA, ALBANIA, MACEDONIA & GREECE

2017 –RAJA MANSINGH TOMAR MUSIC AND ART UNIVERSITY, GWALIOR 2016 – BAGMATI MUSEUM, KATHMANDU, NEPAL

2016 – UNIVERISTY OF THE VISUAL ARTS & PERFORMING ARTS, SRI LANKA 2016 – INTERNATION CAMP, INDIAN EMBASSY, ABU-
DHABI, UAE

2015- INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL INTEGRATION CAMP, PATTYA, THAILAND

2009 – 1T N.E,YOUNG ARTIST CAMP, KOHIMA, NAGALAND BY NYK, GOVT, OF INDIA

2009- SINGAPUR AND SRILANKA