Important Notice

Debraj Goswami was born in 1973 in Serampore, West Bengal. He completed his early education before he decided that the career of an artist was the one for him. Goswami completed his bachelor’s degree in Graphics at the Rabindra Bharati University in West Bengal and later moved to Baroda where he obtained his Master’s degree in the same from the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University there. During his time at M.S. University, Goswami was...
Debraj Goswami was born in 1973 in Serampore, West Bengal. He completed his early education before he decided that the career of an artist was the one for him. Goswami completed his bachelor’s degree in Graphics at the Rabindra Bharati University in West Bengal and later moved to Baroda where he obtained his Master’s degree in the same from the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University there. During his time at M.S. University, Goswami was awarded the C.R. Dasgupta Memorial Gold Medal for obtaining the highest marks in his final exams. Goswami now lives and works in Baroda.

When Goswami began to paint while he was still in Kolkata, he used oils, and his works reflected the bold, assertive nature of his youth. Loud expressionistic areas of color and vivid abstractions characterized his early canvases. Goswami now prefers to work with acrylic on paper, because he believes the medium gives an artist the advantages of both oils and watercolors, allowing him to easily create and manipulate images on the surface. He also works with charcoal sometimes. Goswami’s oeuvre is mostly figurative and is created with thin, fine lines.

Goswami skillfully manages to get a very serious message across to his viewers through his work, albeit in a sometimes-humorous manner. Amongst the issues and concerns that he has dealt with are those relating to the social habits that the ‘new’ generation has cultivated by imitating those prevalent in the west, and also the ways in which they struggle to hold on to their roots and find a role model amongst them whom they can idealize. Explaining his allegorical idiom, the artist says, “I work in metaphors. So I am not putting any pressure on viewers to understand the intent behind my work. At first glance, they might see something that I never wanted to portray but will discover the true meaning by and by. For example, there is this painting where you see a cow atop a tree. Now this is a Bengali metaphor signifying the height of absurdity, so everyone may not understand. Once I have created what I wanted to, it is for my paintings to talk to the viewer. I cannot mediate their interaction.”

From the time he graduated in 1999, Debraj Goswami has participated in several shows. Amongst his solo endeavors are ‘Multiple Choice’ at Akar Prakar, Kolkata, in 2008; ‘Recycling Masterpieces and Etc.’ at Gallery Threshold, New Delhi, in 2006; ‘My Experiments with Half Truth’ at Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, in 2004; and ‘Don’t / Please Take it Otherwise’ at Gallery Art Resource Trust, Mumbai, in 2001. In 2008 he took part in a number of group shows including, `Faces` at Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai; `Baroda: A Tale of Two Cities` at Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda; `Of Myths And More` at Sans Tache, Mumbai; `Metropolis and the Self` at Art Alive, New Delhi; `Mapping Memories – 2, Painted Travelogues of Bali and Burma’ at Gallery Threshold, New Delhi; ‘Freedom: Sixty Years of Indian Independence’ at the Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata; ‘Ethos 4’ at Indigo Blue Art Gallery, Singapore; and ‘Gaze Within / Gaze Without’ at Gandhara Art Gallery, Kolkata.

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