Nitin Mukul
Shadow of a Drought
2016
Oil and acrylic on canvas
60 x 40 in
After attending a high school for the arts in the Netherlands, where he studied painting, graphic design, photography and printmaking, Nitin Mukul graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Following this, Mukul worked as an assistant to the late minimalist Sol Lewitt, and as Creative Director at the Indocenter of Art and Culture in New York.
Mukul paints using contemporary materials and surfaces, such as oils and acrylics on canvas, but pairs these with more unusual ones like tea water, which has historically been used to prime paper in Indian miniature painting traditions. Frequently, the artist collages photographs of himself on his surfaces, adding to the complex, layered nature of his paintings.
Mukul’s paintings allude to the history of the Subcontinent, within the context of his experiences as a global citizen. In some of his works, the artist uses images of urban spaces in Delhi, where he recently moved from New York, to portray the different perspectives of Western and Indian life, and the boundaries between them. Influenced strongly by post-colonial philosophy, Mukul also explores themes of migrations and passages across borders in his work.
Mukul’s work has been exhibited in several group shows including 'Reprise' and ‘Discerning Form’ at Aicon Gallery, New York, in 2011 and 2010 respectively; ‘What Matters Most’ at Exit Art, New York, in 2010; ‘Woke Up Somewhere Else’ at the Guild Gallery, New York, in 2008; ‘House of the Rising Sun’ at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi, in 2007; ‘Making History on our Own’ at Sahmat, New Delhi, in 2007; and ‘Edge of Desire/Fatal Love’ at the Queens Museum of Art, New York, in 2005. In 2010, Mukul curated Malleable Memory, a 13 person exhibition at Aicon Gallery, New York. He has also curated exhibitions at PS 122 in New York and at the Religare Arts.I Gallery, New Delhi, in 2009. The artist lives and works in New Delhi and New York..
Courtesy of saffronart.com, and saffronart.com