Nabanita Saha

Name : Nabanita Chakrabarti
Date of Birth : 4th May 1974
Permanent Address : A2 - 240, RMV Clusters, Lottegollahalli,
Devinagar Extn., Bangalore. PIN – 560 094.
Phone: 080 – 2351 1941
e-mail :

Academic Qualifications:
§ Graduation (BA) Kolakata, 1994.
§ B.V.A. (Govt. College of Art & Craft), Kolkata, 1999
§ One year Paper Pulp Course in MS University in Vadodara, Faculty of Fine Arts, 2000.
§ Master of Arts (Fine) in Print Making from Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University in Vadodara, 2002

Awards & Scholarships:
§ 2003, Gujarat Lalit Kala Award in Print Making.
§ 2002, AIFACS award.( State Level) in Print Making.
§ National Scholarship 2001 (Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India).
§ College award of Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, 1998 in Applied Arts.
§ College award of Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, 1998 in Print Making.
§ Certificate of Merit in Print Making, 1997.

Participation in Solo Exhibition:
§ 2004, Solo exhibition, at Gallery - g, Bangalore.
§ 2003, Solo exhibition, at Gorky Sadan, Russian Consulate, Kolkata.
§ 2001, Solo exhibition at Arts Core Gallery, Vadodara.
§ 2000, Solo exhibition at WRCS, Vadodara.

Participation in Group Exhibition:
§ 2004, Selected for Camlin Art Foundation Annual Exhibition to be held in December 2004.
§ 2004, Group Exhibition at Srajan Art Gallery, Baroda.
§ 2004, Group Exhibition at Venkattappa Art Gallery, Bangalore.
§ 2003, Annual All India Fine Arts Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata.
§ 2003, Group Exhibition at Hyderabad.
§ 2003, Group Exhibition, at Gorky Sadan, Russian Consulate, Kolkata.
§ 2003, Group Exhibition, Solo Art Gallery, Mumbai.
§ 2003, Annual Exhibition, Gujarat Lalit Kala, Ahemdabad.
§ 2003, The Uprising, A Group Exhibition at Son-Et-Lumiere Art Gallery, Mumbai.
§ 2002, Group Exhibition ‘Artist against violence’ , Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda.
§ 2002, Annual Exhibition of AIFACS, New Delhi,
§ 2002, Annual Exhibition of AIFACS , Ahemdabad,
§ 2002, Group Exhibition at Manthan, Ravindra Bhavan, New Delhi.
§ 2002, Group Exhibition at Cultural Dept. of the Russian Federation Consulate General in2001, Annual Exhibition at State Lalit Kala Kolkata.
§ 2001, 2002 & 2004, Annual Exhibition at Birla Academy Kolkata.
§ 1996, Annual Exhibition of State Govt. of West Bengal, Kolkata.
§ 1996,1997 & 1998 in Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, Kolkata.

Camps Attended:
§ 2003, Graphics Camp, Academy of Fine Arts, Mumbai,
§ 2003, Paper Pulp Camp, Son-Et-Lumiere Art Gallery, Mumbai,
§ 2003, Artist Against War, Kolkata.
§ 2002, Rashtriya Lalit Kala, Lucknow,

Collections are patronized at:
Lalit Kala Delhi, Gorky Sadan (Russian Consulate) Kolkata, and private collections in India & Abroad.
Sd. Nabanita Chakrabarti

Artist Profile of Nabanita Chakrabarti

"There is no fixed source for my work. I take inspiration from varied sources whatever images come from any literary piece or a poem or a cinema or music or even mythological stories. I develop upon my images by interplay between what I collect, accumulate from these source materials and also my observations about reality varies - its political sometimes, sometimes sentimental, paradic, iconic or even sometimes very feminine."

Born in West Bengal, this young artist had completed her M.F.A. in Graphics from The Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda. Nabanita Chakrabarti completed her B.V.A from Kolkata in 1999 before coming to Baroda to pursue the art of printmaking. Though most of the Nabanita's works are either etchings or serigraphs, a choice that has come from the need to show details in her works, the artist also works in oils occasionally.

Metaphors and symbols are the core of the works. She uses traditional, cultural and religious metaphors and it is through these images her language is spoken. That metaphorical images carry more than a single meaning is just as important as the use of the symbol itself. Prominently, one sees the chakra (wheel, in reference to yoga),linga (the iconic representation of Lord Shiva), the womb, the swastika, the snake and the lotus in no specific format or organised presentation. The artist has gradually progressed from one work to another through her understanding of metaphor in the form of its meaning , its character, its uses and its values.

A strong feminist stand dominates several of the artists visuals. The protagonist, a woman is mostly autobiographical, a woman of the society though not confined to a specific one. Having personally been forced to overcome several unpleasant incidents biased towards women, as many women have to face, this has been explicitely depicted in her work. Remaining in the reach of reality, Nabanita does not intend to stray to the abstract in terms of presentation and form.

There is a feeling of disparity which strikes one on the first look of many of Nabanita's works. And this feeling tends to stay with you for a while. The necessity to evoke the emotions of the viewer is one of the unconscious motives while the actual one is of expression of the artists beliefs and socio-political stance. The artist feels that it is with her art that she can voice her feelings and opinions about the society and today’s contemporary world, something that she verbally may be at a loss.

Nabanita has been awarded several honors like College Award of Annual Exhibition of the Government College of Art and Craft, 1998 for graphics, The National Scholarship 2001 (Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government. of India) and The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society Award, 2002 (Gujarat State Level). The artist lives and works in Bangalore.

Nabanita Saha

Artist Background


Education 1994 Graduation (BA) Kolakata
1999 B.V.A. (Govt. College of Art & Craft), Kolkata
2001 One year non-collegiate student of graphic in MS University in Vadodara, Faculty of Fine Arts
2002 Master of Arts (Fine) in Graphic Art from Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University in Vadodara



Exhibitions 1996, 97, 98 The Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, Kolkata
1996 & 1997 9th & 10th Rashtriya Kala Mela
2001-2002 Annual exhibiton of Birla Academy, Kolkata
2001 The State Lalit Kala annual exhibition
2002 The Aifax Annual exhibition.
2000, 2001 She has also had solo showings in Baroda
2002 Cultural Dept. of the Russian Federation Consulate General in Kolkata & Manthan at Gorky Sadan, Kolkata.
2002 Cultural Dept. of the Russian Federation Consulate General in Kolkata & Manthan at Lalit Kala Academi, New Delhi.
2003 The Uprising, A Group Exhibition at Son-Et-Lumiere Art Gallery, Mumbai.



Honours & Awards Certificate of Merit in graphics.
College award of Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, 1998 in Graphics.
College award of Annual Exhibition of Govt. College of Art & Craft, 1998 in Applied Arts.
National Scholarship 2001 (Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India).