Sajad Hussain Hamdani

Art is meditation not masturbation

We cannot percieve both the ends of the reality at the same time when we concentrate on the whole we lose the touch with the detail and when we focus on the detail we submerge in it. Some reflections on my works



My ideas and concepts about art are quite simple I belive in the process of creation not in the objects I create ,firstly because the objects have thier own history, space and time which is quite diffrent from mine and secondly I am in a position to alter some of the elements in them.On the other hand the process is a strange coincidence which occurs between the artist and the object, in order to create the process a dialouge with object becomes necessary which is not possible if we have assumptions or beliefs. Therefore suspension of all the assumptions becomes an essential element in the process of creation.



During the nine years of art study I almost worked in all traditional materials and also explored the possibility of new and rather unconventional ones ,for example water and plastic bags.

As I have already explained that objects are not mere things or pieces for me which are in need of manipulation by me as a so-called artist, but I respect their material manifestaion .This respect may be seen irrational in the present context of rapid mass production and consumerism but this is the ideals which I have acquired every time I confront a piece of wood or stone .

Let’s see it this way, a tree which spent thirty or forty years in a forest is cut and goes through the process of weathering and other things when it reaches to my table it transforms into a peice of flesh I am not capable of destroying it just for my self-glorification. It becomes necessary to have a dialouge which eventually is a process.

Most of my works have a strong relation with the places were they were created because the materials choosen for myworks often I prefer from the surrouindgs were they are created and to be installed.There was a time when I liked to work with power tools but now I prefer more traditional ways, only in extreme need I opt for one.

Work shops and camps:

* Participated in a workshop on "Outdoor Installations" conducted by
Prof. Daniel Auliniger of Ecole De Beaux Arts at Santiniketan West Bengal.
*Participated in the conustruction of a metal sculpture with Irish Sculptor
Derek Fritzgrelad at Santinikeatan West Bengal.
* Participaed in a workshop on Personality Development conducted by eminent educationist Professor M. R. Chilana and Dehli Public School, Jammu ; 2000
* Participated in a workshop for Preservation cum Restoration of Antique Miniature Paintaings and Manuscripts conducted by National Research Laboratories
for Conservation of Cultural Heritage Lucknow and J&K Academy of Art Cultural and Languages (1997)
* Participated in Artists Camp organised by Divisional Commissioner Srinagar and Institute of Music and Fine Arts for seven days in Sonamarg ; 1997

Extra Curricular :

* Participated in Pat-fest North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival organised by Punjabi University Patiala and Association of Indian University (AIU) ; 1996
* Participated in Poster Exhibition on Environmental Degradation organised by University of Kashmir and Contemporary Art Foundation ; 1997
* Participaed in North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival organised by Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and AIU ; 1998




Materials Specialization :

* Stone, wood, teracotta and found object assemblage .

Collections :
* India, France, Ireland, Thailand

My name is Sajad H. Hamdani and I am an artist by proffesion and a teacher. At present I am teaching wood work in a Budhist alternative school in Bangkok ,Thailand , from last one and a half year . I was born and brought up in a small city called Srinagar in the northern part of India known as Kashmir . I studied in alocal school surrounded by big majesticmountains.Huge fresh water lakes,and gigantic maple trees which were my playgrounds and inspirations . Schools gave me afeeling of prison and it was just only in the tenth grade I realized that I cannot continue it further.Therefore I had no other option then to work at the age of sixteen and I never realized that I will come so far from ignorance .A lot of experiences were waiting to be explored I did almost a hundred kind of odd jobs some of them lasting not more then a day.During these seven years of wandering I came across the job of working as an apprentice to a commercial artists and in a furniture factory were I learned to carve both of the jobs gave me some kind of internal peace I enjoyed the process but could not apprecitae the labour because most of it was concerned with production and obligation.

It was in the year 1989 that the things changed drastically for me due to political turmoil and unrest in my home town. I lost my job and had to spend most of my time indoors somehow I was exposed to paintngs,literature and arts I saw the whole world swarming through my eyes and I decided to study further.

My friends introduced me to the Institue of Music and Fine Arts, an autonomus institution affliated with the University of Kashmir.It was in the year 1993 and the course I opted was BFA in sculpture, it took me seven years to complete the degree due to the turmoil which escalated with time.Those seven years gave me enough time to do all sort of expermental art and learn about differnt materials and skills. Finally I was out in 2000, a new millenium was begning and so was my life .I joined a school to teach arts in a nearby state but deep inside me I knew that something was still missing. Within six months I saved some money and applied to some best universities of Fine Arts in India among them was the famous university Visva-Bharti founded by the Noble Laureate Guru Deb Rabindranath Tagore in 1911, also known as Santiniketan.I was not sure whether they would accept me or not because of limted seats for external students but luckily I got admisson in 2001 on merit I joined the Kala-Bhavana, the fine arts faculty ofSantiniketan for my MFA in sculpture.

The next two years were the best productive years of my creative endeavors. I was able to create more works then I had done in seven years of my BFA .The surroundings and the atmosphere brought a new life into my senses I realized that it’s not only the techniques ,skills or intellectual pursuits that brings the artists closer to beauty and truth but a right atmosphere is also essential ,like a tree which needs sunshine to grow an artist needs inspiration s .After completing my masters I could not return back to my native homeland due to the unrest and hostile situation I tried to stay back in the campus for more six months but couldn't continue my work further due to financial reasons .Fortunately I was offerd ajob in this present school were I am working now and I arrived here in Thailand

*"Art and Living Heritage" a group exhibition of paintings at Ban Chao-praya, Pra Atith rd., Bangkok,Thailand; 2003
*"ARTERROR " a contemporary happening in art by Korean and Indian artists at Birla Academy ofArt and Culture ,Kolkata, India 2003.
*Selected for the National Exhibition 2002 by Lalit Kala academy
* Participaed in a Group Show "Young Faces of Contemporary Indian Sculpture" organised by Birla Academy of Art, Kolkata ; 2001
* Double man show "YOU, ME and TIME" an exhibition of paintings organised by Contemporary Art Foundation at College of Education, Srinagar, J&K ; 1998
* One man show of teracotta sculptures, pottery and drawings organised by Institute of Music and Fine Arts, Srinagar ; 1997
* Participated in an exhibition titled "50 Years of Art in Independent India" organised by All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) and J&K Academy of Art Cultural and Languages ; 1997
* Participated in Annual Exhibition of Art organised by Institute of Music and Fine Arts, Srinagar ; 1994-2000
* Participaed in Group Show organised by Contemporary Art Foundation, Srinagar ; 1995-1999

*Lalit Kala Scholarship 2003-04 by Lalit Kala Akademi New Delhi.
* Merit Scholarship for the year 2001-2003 at Visva-Bharati University
* Merit Scholarship for the year 1999-2000 at Institute of Music and Fine Arts
* Gold Medal in National Youth Festival held at Punjabi University Chandigarh ; 1997 -98
* Adjudged 2nd in clay modelling, North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival organised by Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar and AIU ; 1997-98
* Prizewinner in North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival (clay modelling) Punjabi University Patiala ; 1996