Dadgiri by Atul Dodiya (1998)

Stammer in the Shade

Atul Dodiya’s work nurtures complex arrangements of political, cultural and art history, through deep observations, personal anecdotes and insightful interpretations of the world at large. Dodiya’s gritty yet subdued palette reveals an interest in sublime experiences carried within compelling atmospheres through an interplay of form and freedom. His well-regarded solitary figures tend to embody various moods, of calm, solitude, vigour or intensity, with expressive landscapes charged similarly to the particular emotional states in which the figures are held. This companionable strength in his compositions explores our relationship with the world in a causative manner, with myth-like explanations for experiences and events that can be poetic or aggressive.

“One of India's most acclaimed artists, Atul Dodiya refuses to confine himself to a box neatly labelled with a national identity ; his location in India serves him as a base from which to intervene in a variety of cultural and political histories to which the postcolonial self is heir”

– Ranjit Hoskote

“Appropriation, quotation, remembrance, homage... I have notice that all these come into my work in many ways. When you see an image and immediately recognise it, it is because you already know it well and the history behind it, so that the entire package is already in existence”

– Atul Dodiya

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born in 1959 in Mumbai, Atul Dodiya trained at the Sir J.J. School of Art, 1982, and École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1991–92, and is widely considered one of India’s most significant artists. Dodiya became known in the nineties for his hyperrealist paintings depicting middle-class Indian life and for his watercolour and oil series on Mahatma Gandhi. His narratives are populated by diverse traditions in painting, the written word, images from the media, saints and legends, national history, political events, traumata and autobiographical narratives. His allegorical paintings on canvas or metal roller shutters and watercolours are considered either aggressive or poetic.

Dodiya has had more than 32 solo shows worldwide, including at Vadehra Art Gallery (2020, 2017, 2010, 2007); Galerie Templon, Brussels (2015, 2012); Nature Morte, Berlin (2010); Bose Pacia, New York (2005, 2003) among others, as well as mid-career retrospectives at the Contemporary Arts Centre, Cincinnati (2013); Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid (2002); and the Japan Foundation Asia Centre, Tokyo (2001). Major survey shows of his work have been held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi (2013) and Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai (2014).

He has participated in the India Pavilion, 58th Venice Biennale (2019); 1st Kochi–Muziris Biennale (2012); 7th Asia Pacific Triennale, Brisbane (2012); Biennale Jogja XI (2011); 3rd Moscow Biennale (2009); 7th Gwangju Biennale (2008); Documenta12 (2007); 51st Venice Biennal (2005); and the 1st Yokohoma Triennal (2001).

His work is included in several prominent collections, including the Ishara Art Foundation and the Prabhakar Collection, Dubai; the Herwitz Collection, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem; Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Tate Modern, London; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi; Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia; Devi Art Foundation, Gurgaon; Detroit Institute of Arts, USA; Kunsthaus, Zurich; Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Tasmania, Australia; Burger Collection, Berlin and Hong Kong; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Mumbai; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; and Museum M+, Hong Kong, among others.

A major monograph on Atul Dodiya, published by Prestel Verlag and Vadehra Art Gallery, released in January 2014.

The artist lives and works in Mumbai, India.