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Krishnaraj Chonat
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Much of Krishnaraj Chonat’s work is a direct statement on the urban way of life. Chonat has worked with varied media – from acrylic on paper, to installations, to public art on the street. Through all of these however, the artist makes a conscious choice in his medium and his message. A strong sense of disillusionment is seen in much of his work, even though it may sometimes appear celebratory. The artist’s pearl encrusted chandeliers and...
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Much of Krishnaraj Chonat’s work is a direct statement on the urban way of life. Chonat has worked with varied media – from acrylic on paper, to installations, to public art on the street. Through all of these however, the artist makes a conscious choice in his medium and his message. A strong sense of disillusionment is seen in much of his work, even though it may sometimes appear celebratory. The artist’s pearl encrusted chandeliers and sofa surfaces, for example, might seem rich and attractive, but there is something inherently unnatural about these objects devoid of use and context. As the artist explains, it is through such juxtapositions and combinations that he is able to raise concerns without being bound by narrative frameworks.
Through the fake pearls and fur that he includes in his mixed-media objects and installations, Chonat highlights the ways in which social acceptance is sought and reaffirmed through the use of certain materials, symbols or images, no matter their actual worth. In his shows ‘Ideal Living’ and ‘Sinister White’, the artist illustrated this superfluous nature of the nouveau riche and new age living by faking luxury, or rendering it in a completely redundant manner.
More recently, as a part of the ‘Public Arts Projects’ in New Delhi, Chonat used public space to once again make a strong statement about the concept of luxury, this time in the context of environmental degradation. His uprooted tree dangling above a bungalow on a busy street in New Delhi raises questions about urban development at the cost of Nature and also about relocation, uprootment and rehabilitation.
Born in 1973, Krishnaraj Chonat received his Bachelor’s degree from Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishad, Bangalore, in 1994, and his Post-Diploma from the Faculty of Fine Arts at M. S. University, Baroda, in 1996. While in art school, he was awarded a scholarship by the Karnataka Lalit Kala Akademi as well as the Ramkumar Kejriwal Scholarship. Chonat’s most recent solo shows were 'Island', presented by GallerySke at Project 88, Mumbai, in 2007; 'Ideal Living' at GallerySke, Bangalore, in 2004; and 'Sinister White', Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore, in 2002. His work has been exhibited in several group including 'Mutant Beauty' at Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2008; 'Lush' presented by Gallery Ske, Bangalore, and Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, Miami, in 2007; and 'Made by Indians' at Gallerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, in 2006.
Chonat lives and works in Bangalore.
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Born
1973
Chennai
Education
1996 Post-Diploma, Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
1994 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishad, Bangalore
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 'All Sunsets are Sunsets',...
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 'All Sunsets are Sunsets', Nature Morte, New Delhi
2010 'My Hands Smell of You', Gallery Ske, Bangalore
2007 'Island', presented by Gallery Ske at Project 88, Mumbai
2004 'Ideal Living', Gallery Ske, Bangalore
2002 'Sinister White', Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore
2000 'The Rehearsal', Karnataka Chitrakala Parishad, Bangalore
Selected Group Exhibitions
2010 'Vahana', Bombay Art Gallery, Mumbai
2008 '48 Degree Celsius-Public Art Ecology', at various Public Sites in New Delhi
2008 'Mutant Beauty', Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi
2007 'Lush', co-curated by GallerySke, Bangalore and Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, at a Display Space in the Design District, Miami
2006 'Made by Indians', organised by Gallerie Enrico Navarra, Paris. Did a performance project, 'Cake' at Cafe Sud on the beach of Pampellone, Saint-Tropez, France
2005 'Varieties of Strangeness', Anant Art Gallery, Kolkata
2005 'Double Enders', Museum Gallery and Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi; Sumukha Art Gallery, Bangalore; Durbar Hall, Kochi
2005 GallerySke, Bangalore
2004 'Have We Met?', The Japan Foundation, Tokyo
2004 'Premiere Vue', Passage de Retz, Paris
2002 'Creative Space', organised by Sakshi Gallery at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
2001 'On the Edge of Volume', Sakshi Gallery and Alliance Francaise, Bangalore
2000 'Concept Shop', Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore
2000 'Eye of the South', Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai
1995 Welcome Group, Baroda
Participations
2017 'Transforming Vision: 21st century art from the Pizzuti Collection', Pizzuti Collection, Columbus, Ohio
2011 'Homespun', Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi
2009 'In The Mood For Paper', F2 Gallery, Beijing
2008 'Passage to India', Initial Access, Frank Cohen Collection, Wolverhampton, Manchester, UK
2008 'Chalo India: A New Era of Indian Art', Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
2008 'Where in the World?', Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi
2007 'New Installations from India', The Mattress Factory, Pittsburg
2007 'Private/Corporate IV', Daimler Chrysler Contemporary, Berlin
2007 'New Delhi/New Wave', Marella Gallery, Milan
2005 'Indian Summer', Ecole de Beaux Arts, Paris
1993 'Prints Today', All India Prints Exhibition, Bangalore
Honours and Awards
2007 'New Installations by Artists from India', residency at The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, USA
2006 Winter Artist in Residence programme, AFFA, Paris
2003 Artist in Residence programme, EGIDE and Indo-French Academy for the Arts, Paris
1994-96 Scholarship from Karnataka Lalitkala Academy, Bangalore
1994 Ramkumar Kejriwal Scholarship, Bangalore
2007 'New Installations by Artists from India', residency at The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, USA
2006 Winter Artist in Residence programme, AFFA, Paris
2003 Artist in Residence programme, EGIDE and Indo-French Academy for the Arts, Paris
1994-96 Scholarship from Karnataka Lalitkala Academy, Bangalore
1994 Ramkumar Kejriwal Scholarship, Bangalore
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