Saba Hasan Profile   |    Summary At one of her shows Saba Hasan had to face the usual barrage of questions in context to her works - what do they mean, the symbolism behind the works.The artist has summed up her response as follows "It strikes me that art history and criticism, unlike painters, are driven by this impulse to look at paintings as if they are riddles. Problems that have to be cracked. Now that my own concern in terms of my work is, what next, I will make a brief... Read More At one of her shows Saba Hasan had to face the usual barrage of questions in context to her works - what do they mean, the symbolism behind the works.The artist has summed up her response as follows "It strikes me that art history and criticism, unlike painters, are driven by this impulse to look at paintings as if they are riddles. Problems that have to be cracked. Now that my own concern in terms of my work is, what next, I will make a brief stop in this column to figure out what paintings are, at least to the mind of a painter. There is, of course, the scale, pictorial space, perspective, texture, volume, mass, shape, projection line, articulation, color, light, dynamics, organization, and then there is art. To be powerful, a painting will have the necessary formal constructs as well as that added magic which will envelope the viewer, and take him beyond the superficial elements. The audience is pulled into an imaginary space, a parallel universe that is ephemeral but powerful, as it’s full of interpretations. Mysticism, compassion, longing, claustrophobia, sensuality, mystery, emptiness, joy, wonder, awe and the dance of the Dervish. While people habitually rush to attribute meanings, to classify or explain, paintings rely on intuition and experiences, not intellectual formulations for which mere words suffice. The way I see it, art appreciation clearly requires more humility and imagination, rather than logic. Art is a special category of culture that contains its own value. Fortunately, at the turn of this century, in the era of ‘post-postness’, each artist has unlimited freedom to express herself in her own way, as long as innovation and quality are sustained. I think the crux, apart from the language one uses is perhaps in the way we choose to live and how effectively we can distill that very personal experience into the work. Like what I feel when I work in my studio in Shahpur Jat, a village bang in the middle of south Delhi. Here you are forced to confront a diverse mix of people who work alongside: painters, jalebi wallahs, welders, designers, embroiders - a wonderful feeling of being in a pulsating village cum city. Box like houses, kind of stacked over each other, looking into their neighbour’s space a little curiously, but mostly ready to push another day, free of ill will and biases. Well, at least till the power cuts come! Then in April, the Gulmohar tree flames up red and regal, cutting across the Delhi dust and haze, like my memory of Abba, undeniable, right through all that has happened and all that will. Abstraction with its open-ended ness allows me to look for the universal or express the elemental furthering our quest for self-knowledge. Its completely bereft of hierarchy, generously granting each viewer his own interpretation. My paintings are guided by emotional undercurrents, passions, silences, memories, play of sunlight and time. They are largely detached from any meaning that words might put into them. The spirituality of Indian art, both Hindu and Islamic is inherently mine so the colours of Kangra paintings, the forthrightness of tribal art and the mystical patterns of Sufism are my traditional foundations for abstraction. These get blended with my personality and the daily experiences of an urbanite, allowing the regeneration of a new identity. Eastern spiritual rivers in the bustle of Delhi with a toss of rich oil paints garnished with linseed and as a friend put it so well. Its art as usual" Read Less    Education 2000 Art History Summer School, Cambridge University, UK 1998 Academie, Ecole D'Arts Visuels, Lausanne, Switzerland 1983 BA Honours Economics, Delhi University, New Delhi 1985 MS Cultural Anthropology, Delhi University, New Delhi Exhibitions Selected Solo Exhibitions 2002 Triveni Art Gallery, New Delhi... Selected Solo Exhibitions 2002 Triveni Art Gallery, New Delhi 2001 Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi 1999 India International Centre, New Delhi 1999 Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Mumbai 1997 All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi 1996 India International centre, New Delhi Selected Group Exhibitions 2010 'Swasti Roop', An Abstract Show by Raza Foundation Awardees, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi 2010 'Beyond Object hood', presented by Gandhara Art Gallery at Nandalal Bose Hall, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Kolkata 2008 'Dus Mahavidyas: Ten Creative Forces', presented by Gallerie Nvya at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2007 'Indifferent History', Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai 2007 The Raza Awardees Show, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi 2006 'Letters from Baton Rouge', Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi 2005 'The Book of Disquiet', Galerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi 2005 'The Written Word', Apparao Galleries, Chennai 2005 'Tribute to Munshi Premchand', SAHMAT, New Delhi 2004 'The Making of India', SAHMAT, New Delhi 2004 'Between Rivers' 2003 'Winter Show', Apparao Galleries, Chennai 2003 'Lost Voices', India Habitat Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India International Centre, New Delhi 2002 National Gallery of Art, Colombo, Sri Lanka 2002 India Habitat Centre, Convention centre, New Delhi 2002 'Ode to the Dead', Gallery Freedom, New Delhi 2002 'CAN', Visual Arts Gallery, Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 Visual Arts Gallery, Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2002 Lokayata, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi 2001 'Art for Prabhat', Arpana Caur Gallery, New Delhi 2001 The Marriott Welcomgroup Hotel, New Delhi 2000 Open Studio, ShahpurJat, New Delhi 1999 Art Forum, Group Show of Pastels, New Delhi 1990 Women Artists '90, Hyderabad 1987 Pittsburgh Centre for Arts, Pennsylvania, USA Participations 2005 Florence Biennale 2002 Harvest 2002, Arushi Art Gallery, New Delhi 2002 Annual Exhibition, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi 1999 Annual Exhibition, Uruswati Centre for Contemporary Art, Honours and Awards 2006 The Raza Foundation Award for Painting 2006 Artists Residency Award by the French Government, Paris 2002 George Keyt Foundation Residency, Sri Lanka 1986 Fellowship for Culture Studies, Syracuse University, New York 2006 The Raza Foundation Award for Painting 2006 Artists Residency Award by the French Government, Paris 2002 George Keyt Foundation Residency, Sri Lanka 1986 Fellowship for Culture Studies, Syracuse University, New York Read More Read Less Read Less
To be notified when Saba Hasan works come up for sale on Saffronart: Please enter a valid email address. Thank you. You have been subscribed. Subscribing...

Need help? For more information on Indian Art, please see our Art Guide. For help with buying through Saffronart please click here. If you have any other questions, please contact us.