Ratnabali Kant
RATNABALI KANT
Born: 1956, Kolkata
Education:
Higher Secondary, West Bengal, Calcutta 1972.Subject: Fine Arts (Sculpture, Painting, Dance, History of Art and Aesthetics)
B.F.A.(Bachelor of Fine Arts) Degree,1977. Kala Bhavan (College of Arts) Vishva Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal (Specialization in Sculpture: History of Art & Aesthetics)
Certificate in Indian Classical dance- Kathakali 1975 Sangeet Bhavan, Santiniketan, Vishva Bharati University, West Bengal.
M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts) 1979. Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S.University, Baroda, Gujrat (Specialization in Creative Sculpture, History of Arts & Aesthetics) A dissertation on “Zoomorphic motifs in Ancient Indian Sculpture”
Doctoral Research, on “Dynamic elements in Ancient Greek Sculpture” at Athens University, Greece. 1983-1986
Scholarships, Awards & Honors:
a. Merit Scholarship (three years- 1972, 1974, 1976 Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, West Bengal)
b. National Scholarship for young Workers in Cultural Field, Sculpture, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, New Delhi 1977-1979
Scholarship by the Greek Govt. State Scholarship Foundation, Athens Greece, for Doctoral Research at Athens University, Greece 1983-1987
d. Research Grant by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, to work at Garhi Artists Studios, Delhi 1987
e. Senior Fellowship to the outstanding Artists in the field of plastic arts,( Sculpture) Deptt. of culture, Govt. of India, Delhi 1991-1993
f. Honorable mention, Sixth Bharat Bhavan Biennale of Contemporary Indian Art, Bhopal, M.P. 1996
g. Senior Fellowship to outstanding Artists in the field of performing arts, Deptt. of Culture Govt. of India, Delhi 1996-1998
Illustrated talks/ Lecture Demonstrations:
Faculty of Visual Arts, B.H.U. Banaras. January 3, 1997
Kala Bhavan Santiniketan, Visva Bharati, March 24, 2000
Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, March 27, 2000
Jamia Milia Islamia University,Delhi, April 12, 2001
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Delhi, September 7, 2001
Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, as part of Triennale India 2001
Schools in Athens, Greece, 1994-1995
Workshops:
a. Small Bronze Sculpture workshop, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, West Bengal, 1975
b. Took one month workshop and taught Indian dances to Greek artists for Dramatic productions in Athens, Greece, 1985
c. Took workshops for the tribal folks of Chotanagpur, Bihar, traind them in dance and art for Art Performance, 1993-1995
d. Invited to participate in International Artists camp-cum-workshop organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, during 9th Triennale-India, 1997
e. Took Multi-media workshop for seven days with S.O.S. students, organized by Indira Gandhi Centre Other for Arts, 9-15 July, 2003
Other Important Particulars:
a. Uday Shankar Shatabdi Samaroh, A festival of Choreographic works, Organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi, Deptt. of information & cultural affairs Govt. of W.B. at Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata, February 27, 2002
b. Vishva Banga Millenium Festival, invited for Installation Performa,Mela Ground, Kolkata, January, 2000
c. Invited to perform an innovative performance at Natyaghar, Santiniketan, July 8, 1994
d. Invited by Doordarshan, CPC channel for an innovative performance, December 27, 1996
Professional Experience:
a. For last three decades working as professional freelance artist by having Exhibitions (solo and participations), lectures/ demonstrations
b. Introduced a new form of art, named Installation Performance in the field of Contemporary Indian art
Exhibition Solo:
a. “ Tree of soul at end of the rainbow” ( a work in intermedia) Rabindra Bhavan New Delhi, 13-19, 2003
b. Photo documentation of Sculpture, Painting and Installation performance 1987-2003 Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, April 13-19, 2003
c. “ Sculpture show” Galarie Romain Rolland Delhi, November 26-30, 1999
d. “Recent Sculpture” CIMA gallery, Kolkata, July 25-30, 1997
e. “ Sculpture and painting show” Shridharani Gallery, Delhi,September 16-25, 1996
f. “ Global Agony” (fibreglass sculpture), Gallerie Ganesha, Delhi,October 3-9, 1993
g. “Facing Nightmare Alone” (fibreglass sculpture) India International Centre, Delhi, October 29-31, 1991
h. “Exhibition of sculptures” Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, August 28- September 2, 1990
i. “Recent Works” ( Terracotta Sculpture, Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi, October 21- November 24, 1988
j. “Exhibition of Sculpture”(Black fibreglass sculpture) Rabindra Bhavan Gallery, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, November 8-14, 1987
k. “ Exhibition of Sculpture” Gallery Kreonidis Athens, Greece, February17-March 5, 1986
l. “Sacred Dance”( Fibreglass sculpture) Gallery 3rd September,Athens, Greece, 1996
m. “Exhibition of Sculpture”, Urja Art Gallery, Baroda, 1978
n. “Exhibition of Bronze Sculpture” Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, West Bengal, 1976
o. “Sculpture Show” (Bronze), Begusarai, Bihar, 1976
Body Art Performances:
a. “Voice from within” Athens, Greece, February 5, 1986
b. “Rainbow of Desire” Athens, Greece, September 9, 1985
Performing Sculpture:
a. “Facing the Nightmare Alone” India International Centre, Delhi, October 29,1991
Dance Drama:
“Warrior Woman” Triveni Kala Sangam Chamber Theatre, Delhi, April 16, 1992
“The Princes and the Hermit” Athens, Greece, for Greek Summer Festival, U.S.Embassy& the Hellenic American Union, as part of Athens Cultural Capital of Europe.
“Indian classical dance” Indian Association of Greece and the Hellenic Society of Cultural Relations in cooperation with the Indian Embassy, Athens, Greece,1983, 1984, 1985.
Art Performance:
“ I Feel Life to be Green”
1st Performance- July 2, 1994, MTI, SAIL, Ranchi, Chotanagpur
2nd Performance-July 6, 1994, Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
3rd Performance-july8, 1994 Natyaghar, Santiniketan, West Bengal
4th Performance- November 8, 1995, Sriram Centre (Main Auditorium), Delhi
5th Performance- December 27, 1995, for Doordarshan (CPC) Channel
Ritual Installation Performance:
“Death of Desire”- March 18, 1996, Kamani Auditorium, No Parking area, open air
“Death of Desire”-January 2-3, 1997, Faculty of Visual Arts, BHU, Banaras Installation Performance:
“Birth of Civilization?”-September 18, 1996, Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi
“Way of a Warrior”- July 25, 1997, CIMA Gallery, Kolkata
“Division of Land”- September 12, 1999, in the Art and Cinema Show, India
Habitat Centre, Delhi
“Death of a Book”- September 12, 1999, in the Art and Cinema Show, India Habitat Centre, Delhi
“End of the Scroll”-September 12, 1999, in the Art and Cinema Show, India Habitat Centre, Delhi
“End of the Scroll /End of the millennium”- January 7, 2000, Biswa Banga Sammelan Millennium Festival, Mela Gruond, Kolkata
“Red Under the Golden Halo”-January 11, 2001, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata
That Space is Nowhere”-March 24, 2000, Chatal, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan
“Pain Within 2”- April 12, 2000, street performance, CARDS, Ranchi, Jharkhand
“Pain Within 3”- April 12, 2001, Faculty of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
“Pain Within 4”- February 22, 2002, AIFACS, Delhi
“Hidden Act 2”- December 6, 1995,, open air, Studio 55, Delhi
Contemporary Dance Theatre Performance:
“ Womb of Fire”- May 5, 1999, Basement theatre, India Habitat Centre, Delhi
“My Body is an Extension of Earth”- May 10, 2001, Basement theatre, India Habitat Centre, Delhi
“My Body is an Extension of Earth”- February 27, 2002, Rabindra Sadan, Kolkata
VIDEO Performance:
“Tije van mein panch pardhi”- April 7, 2003
Road Parformance:
“The Last Performance”- January 1, 2005, Delhi, completing 20 years of the artist’s exploration of this art form (performance art/ installation performance)
Participations:
“Ephemeral Steps, Enduring Imprints”- January 15-February 10, 2005, XI Triennial- India, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi
“Major trends in India”, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi on the Golden Jubilee Celebration of India’s Independence,1997 (displayed Recorded performance, “The Death of Desire” on monitor.
“Uday Shankar Festival of Arts” Sahitya Kala Parishad, Delhi, 1996
“ Sixth Bharat Bhavan Biennale of Contemporary Indian Art”, Bhopal, 1996
“Shilpayan”, Contemporary Indian Sculpture, National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, 1996
“ National Exhibition of Art”, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, 1989, 1992
“Asian Art Biennale”, Bangladesh, 1993
Collection/ Installed:
National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, HUDCO,
Delhi, Vigyan Bhavan Delhi, Gaeden of Five Sences,Delhi, Private and Galleris, India, Greere, U.K. and France.