• 2003-05:M.F.A (Painting), College of Art, New Delhi
• 1998-02:B.F.A. (Painting), College of Art, New Delhi
Dhaneshwar is among the few rare young Indian artists, who display a struggle with language and style, focusing less on content and the finished image. He succeeds in not being limited to a 'beautiful' stylization of the other, but actually manages to pose a critique to the Contemporary, through a purely formal engagement. It was this impulsive critique of urbanity that led Dhaneshwar on his first trip to Bastar to shoot his first documentary on tribal art, an interest which has since been chased in anguish. In an attempt to broaden his horizon, Shah has traveled beyond Bastar to the aboriginal heartlands of Australia where he documented tribal art in Tanzania and made personal observations yet bypassing the Anthropological. To an extent he has simply gaped at the fascinating body of artistic knowledge, and has carried an 'innocent' fascination about the commonalty of motifs and design ideas.
For an artist with a prodigal knack for experimentation, this exposure to new knowledge has come back to speak in his practice. Thus we are enchanted with his struggle to reconcile the artist born and taught in Delhi, with the artist which is falling in love with the tribal. Without doubt many facets of folk art and miniature traditions together with the works of artists such as Klee, Miro, Kandinsky serve as precedents, inspirations and in between.
The artist has a born tendency to do things differently, and this leads to develop new techniques and forms to express the inner of artist, it is called creativity to use the basic elements (lines, color, forms etc.) in millions of ways to create one such thing. The artworks by the artist are highly influence by the tribal & aboriginal art and their philosophy because he believes these arts are pure and authentic. These influences can be seen in his works like their dotted lines, thick outlines, bright and flat colors, humor, repetition of forms etc. in artist’s own language and techniques.
Solid outlines are used in his paintings to create volume of the form. The bright colors are sometimes used in various hues and monochromatic colors. The main form in his painting comes out with thick colors while background is always textured and smooth. The repetition of form is a tribal and miniature concept. Dhaneshwar uses this concept in a multiple personality aspect, discovering various dimensions of same form at one place and put them together.
In the words of the artist, “working process of mind is just like a laboratory, where we experiments with our emotions, expressions, feelings etc. together and new thoughts & techniques emerges and just like an atomic chain reaction they never ends and generates new ideas and creativities with huge energy. When we draw and paint these experiments of new thoughts through lines, colors and forms an artwork emerges.”
Animals have been occupied a very permanent place in artist’s canvas for a long time, like old Christian paintings has shown Ox and Donkey as a part of narrative. In old Hindu paintings, sculptures and murals, lord Vishnu represents the aspect of Matsyavatara and Kurmavatara to symbolize various incarnations. Dhaneshwar says, “Mostly I use animal forms in my artwork, but I forgot the first time when I drew and painted an animal form but I am sure about those forms in my childhood doodles done on wall buried deep in various whitewash layers might be still there and breathing I guess.” In his paintings, one can easily discover the small visual elements from the surrounding the artist is physically attached with. These elements according to the artist are witness of the moment and place, and often became a part of the painting sometimes subconsciously and spontaneous.
Through his artworks, Dhaneshwar wants to establish new sense, language, possibilities and dimension of contemporary art.
Despite his young age, he has already received a lot of awards and scholarships. Being so young, he is an emerging and a prominent name in the industry, with deep insight of traditional and contemporary art.
“I like to play with the concept “beauty of scale .the gist of my art work is the simplification of complex thoughts”.
- Dhaneshwar Shah
Dhaneshwar Shah participates within and challenges dominant contemporary notions by refusing to stagnate, constantly experiment, and relive the formal struggle of the modernist avant-garde. At the same time his participation becomes critical as it challenges the dominant cosmopolitan definitions of the Contemporary and, radicalized through his refrain from finished-hood and the spectacle. By embracing video and sculpture installations, the artist has thrown a new challenge to himself. His drawing quality reveals a natural instinct for sculpture and the works themselves betray close learning from tribal sculptural traditions. However in content, these works are far more politically radical than the paintings as they trap the viewer with formal simplicity and makes him/her confront uncomfortable questions about the progressive take-over of the planet.
- By Rahul Bhattacharjee
In Many governments and private collection in India and abroad.
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