Sunoj D

Born in 1979, Sunoj D. completed his Bachelor’s degree in painting from the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore, in 2003, and then his Master’s degree in the printmaking from Bangalore University in 2006. 


Deeply concerned about the take-over of rural land in the name of urban development, Sunoj D.’s works address the contemporary tensions that exist between these two city and village life in India at the many points where they voluntarily and reluctantly meet. Currently focusing on the issue of land use, the artist explores the emotional and economic relationships of various citizens with the land they work or live on, and the different ways in which Nature and land are understood and valued in rural and urban contexts. 


Amongst the artist’s solo shows are ‘Between Land and Sky’ at Grosvenor Vadehra, London, in 2009. ‘Sunoj D: Not Dead since 1979’ at Gallery SKE , Bangalore, in 2005; and an exhibition at Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi, Kochi, in 2002. His work has also been featured in several group shows, including, most recently, ‘Ten Light Years’ at Kashi Art Gallery, Kochi, in 2007; ‘House of Mirrors’ at Grosvenor Vadehra, London, in 2007; ‘Recent Works’ at Project 88, Mumbai, in 2006; ‘Satyagraha Centenary Exhibition’ at Travancore Art Gallery, New Delhi, and Kizo Art Gallery, Durban, in 2006; and ‘I, Me, Myself’ at Kashi Art Gallery, Kochi, in 2005. Sunoj D. has also completed residencies at Braziers International Artists Workshop, Oxfordshire, in 2008; Shatana International Artists Workshop, Jordan, in 2007; Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, in 2004; and the Kanoria Art Center, Ahmedabad, in 2003. In 2003, the artist was awarded the 4th Bienial Bose Pacia Prize for Contemporary Art, New York. Sunoj D. lives and works in Bangalore.

(Profile by Saffronart)