About Iranna
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G.R. Iranna
1970: Born in Sindgi, Bijapur, Karnataka (India) |
Born 1970 in Karnataka, GR Iranna obtained B.F.A. from the college of Visual Arts in Gulbarga in 1992 and M.F.A. from Delhi College of Art in 1994.Iranna is recipient of National Academy award in 1997, the M.F.Hussain and Ram Kumar award, Lalit Kala Academy Award and the AIFACS award. He was a recipient of Charles Wallace Scholarship; between 1999 and 2000 and studied at Wimbledon School of Art, London. Iranna has had solo exhibitions at The Guild art gallery, Mumbai, Espace art gallery, Delhi, British Council gallery. Has also exhibited in Hongkong, London, Cairo and Amsterdam among others. Iranna’s works are in many important collections including NGMA, Delhi and Chester & Davida Herwitz collection. His paintings consist of nude figures: abstract in language they are of a philosophical reflection, revolving around the interest in exploring the interactions of the inner of man world with the existential issues of today.
G R Iranna is an artist whose work transcends the boundaries of time and space. Born in 1970, it’s been barely ten years since he started painting professionally, and already his work is mature and profound. Many of Iranna's paintings depict pain as an abstract force that is translated visually in bruised textures and razor sharp cutting edges. His painting has always been far removed from an overriding, postmodern logic. Instead, Iranna uses the idealistic, representative and modernist language of Indian contemporary art. His most recent works are all visions of resistance. In just a glance, one can tell a sense of massive dynamic energy that pervades the surfaces. An energy that is fueled by torment and the struggle against it. Upon further inspection, one sees that these conflicts being played out on the surface are present also in those between one colour and another, between figure and hue, and between the crudeness and the expertise employed. These works, set on canvas as well as tarpaulin, are symbolic of an important change in Iranna's work. Maybe symbolic even of an attempt to break free from an establishment, or a style that is beginning to become claustrophobic. The large, fundamental figure that used to appear in Iranna's early paintings emerges only twice in this later series, and though the artist continues to employ repeated motifs in his work, they seem now to be less figurative, leaning more towards form.
These pieces seem to have an almost romantic undertone: the result of Iranna's attempt to break away from his own mould and reform his work. They cater to contemporary expectations, and reflect his need to pander many contradictory demands. Those of society as well as those of the artist himself.
Solo Shows
| 2010: | ‘Ribbed Routes’, The guild art gallery. Mumbai |
| 2008: | The Birth of Blindness, AICON Gallery, London & New York, UK & USA |
| 2007: | ‘The Dancer on the Horse’ Berkele Square Gallery London. Essay by Ranjit Hosakote. |
| 2006: | ‘Disorder and Early Sufferings’ Gallery muller & plate, Munchen. Essay by Ernst W Koelnsperger. |
| ‘King of Clay’ Gallery Artsindia, New York and California. | |
| 2005: | ‘Threads of humanism’ by Bodhi art in Delhi & Singapore, essay by Uma Nair. |
| 2003: | ‘dream & perplexity’ by The Guild, at Chitra Kala Parishath, Bangalore. Essay by Ranjit Hoskote. |
| 2002: | Artist of the month, month of May, in www.saffron art.com. |
| 2001: | ‘The Enigma of Departure’ at The British Council, Mumbai, & The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai, essay by Girish Shahney. |
| 2000: | Gallery Espace, New Delhi |
| Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture, Cairo, organized by Indian Embassy in Cairo. | |
| Foyer Gallery, Wimbledon School of Art, London | |
| 1999: | ‘In the Shadow of Buddha’ at Gallery Martini, Hong Kong |
| 1998: | ‘Shadows of the Real’ at Shridharani & Gallery Espace, New Delhi, essay by Roobina Karode. |
| 1995: | ‘Edge Dynamics’ at Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi & Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. Essay by Suneet Chopra. |
| 1992: | College of Visual Art, Gulbarga |
Selected Group Shows
| 2010: | San Jose Museum of Art San Jose California |
| “Group Show”, Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei Taiwan, by Sakshi Gallery. | |
| “Indian (sub) Way” Grosvenor Vadhera Gallery, London, curated by Yashodhara Dalmia. | |
| “Go See India”, Contemporary Indian Art at Gothenburg, Sweden. Curated by Amith Mukhopadyya & Oscar Aschan. | |
| 2009: | Signature Art Prize Singapore Show, Museum Singapore. |
| “Culture Popular India” Maspresidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid Museum, Madrid . Curated by Shahin Mirali. | |
| “Retrieval Systems”,Curated by Ranjit Hoskote. Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre; Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi | |
| 'Astonishment of Being', Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata cureted by Diksha Nath. | |
| 'Think Small', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi | |
| 'Big Dreams’, Crimson Art Gallery, Bangalore. | |
| 'Zip Files', Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai. | |
| 'Moderns and More', Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto. | |
| 'Life is A Stage', Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA), Mumbai. | |
| 'Signs Taken for Wonders: Recent Art from India and Pakistan', Aicon Gallery, London. | |
| 2008: | 'Material/Immaterial', Gallery Collection, Bodhi Art, Gurgaon |
| ‘Keep Drawing’, Gallery Espace, New Delhi | |
| MiArt Fair 08, Milan, Italy | |
| 2007: | ‘Keep Drawing’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai |
| ‘India 20’, Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi | |
| ‘High on Art’, Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi | |
| ‘Telling It Like It Is: The Indian Story’, The Gallery in Cork Street, London | |
| Asian Contemporary Art Fair, represented by Aicon Gallery, New York | |
| 2006: | ‘The Human figure’ Gallery Threshold, Delhi , curated by Marta Jakimowicz. |
| Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair,Istanbul. | |
| 2005: | ‘Paths of progression’, by Bodhi Art & Saffronart, Delhi, Mumbai ,Singapore, New York. |
| Arhad Bienalle, Romania. | |
| 'We are like this only?' by Vadhera Art Gallery, N. Delhi. | |
| Change of Address, The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai. | |
| 2004: | Gallery 27, ,at Oslo, Norway, curated by Dr.Alka Pande. |
| 'Untitled’ by Gallery Espace at Habitat Center ,essay by Roobina Karode, N. Delhi. | |
| Peter Muller Gallery, Munich ,Germany. | |
| 2002: | ‘Words and Images’, NGMA, Mumbai. |
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‘European & Modern & Contemporary Indian Paintings’ Auction cum Exhibition by Bowrings Fine Art Auctioneers at New Delhi. |
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| Jehangir Art Gallery Golden Jubilee Show, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai | |
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‘Modern &Contemporary Indian paintings’ Auction cum Exhibition by Bowrings Fine Art Auctioneers at Mumbai. |
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| 1998-2005: | Harmony Show curated by Vikran Sethi, at Nehru Centre, Mumbai. |
| 2002: | 'Words and Images' curated by Girish shahney at National gallery of modern art, Mumbai. |
| Jahangir Art gallery golden jubilee show curated by Anupa Mehta, Mumbai. | |
| 2001: | ‘The Human factor’, curated by Girish Shahney at the Guild Art Gallery,Mumbai. |
| ‘Palette 2001&02’ curated by Rohit Gandhi at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Center, New Delhi. | |
| ‘Engendering-images of women’ at Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai, essay by Sasha Altaf. | |
| ‘Kaleidoscope’ ISU International Art Gallery Singapore. | |
| Apparao Galleries, Madras. | |
| 1999: | ‘Icons of The Millennium’, Gallery Lakeeren, Mumbai |
| ‘Edge of the Century’ by Amit Mukhopadhyay, Delhi. | |
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‘The Creative Process’, by Guild art galley in Mumbai, essay by Shivaji Paniker. The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai. |
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| 1998: | Vedanta Art Gallery, Chicago, U.S.A. |
| The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai | |
| Gallery Espace, New Delhi | |
| ‘Harmony Show’, Nehru Centre, Mumbai | |
| 1997: | ‘Four Artists, Diverse Talents’ at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai organized by Guild art Gallery, Mumbai. |
| 1995: | Schoo’s Gallery, Amsterdam, Holland |
| 1994: | Shridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi. |
| Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. | |
| 1992: | Award Winners Exhibition SCZCC Nagpore, at Bangalore, Indore, Hyderabad, Pune. |
| 1990: | Chitra Kala Parishad, Bangalore. |
Awards
| 2008: | ABPF Foundation, Signature Art Prize- Singapore Art Museum Jury Award 2008 |
| 2004: | Harmony Show Artist of the Year Award, Harmony Foundation, Mumbai. |
| 2003: | Residency, George Keyt Foundation, Dambola, Sri Lanka |
| 2002: | K K Hebbar Foundation Award, for 2002. |
| 2001: | State Award from Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy, Bangalore |
| 1999: | International Scholarship from Charles Wallace India Trust, British Council |
| 1997: | 40th National Academy Award from Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi |
| AIFACS Award, New Delhi, 50 years of Art in Independent India | |
| 1996: | National Scholarship from Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India |
| 1995: | Garhi Research Grant from Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi |
| 1993: | ‘In Search of Talent’ M.F. Hussain & Ram Kumar selection Award by Vadhera Art Gallery, New Delhi |
| Bansi Parimu Memorial Committee, Dhoomi Mall Art Gallery, New Delhi. | |
| Delhi College of Art, New Delhi. | |
| 1991-92: | College of Visual Art, Gulbarga |
| 1991: | All India Fine Arts Exhibition, Gadag |
| 1991-92: | All India Exhibition Mysore Dasara, Mysore. |
| 1990: | 4th All India Exhibition SCZCC, Nagpore. |
Scholarships & Workshops
| 2003: |
Residency by George Kith Foundation at Dambola, Sri Lanka 1999-2000: International Scholarship from Charles Wallace India Trust, British Council |
| 1997: | 9th Triennial India 1997 International Artist Camp by Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi |
| 1996-1997: | National Scholarship from Ministry of H.R.D., Government of India |
| 1995-1996: | Garhi Research Grant from Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi |
| 1993: | International Painting & Sculpture Symposium, Gulbarga |
Attended numerous camps at the national level throughout India.
Book Publications
| 2007: |
‘The dancer on the horse’ Ranjit Hosakote. Published by Lund Humphries, UK,USA. & Mapin, publishing Pvt. Ltd., INDIA. |
| 2007: | ‘INDIA 20’ Anupa Mehta, publishd by Mapin publishing Pvt, ltd. INDIA. |
Collections
- National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
- David Robert collection, London
- Kiran Nadar, Rajshree Pathy collection
- Singapore Art Museum
- Chester & David Hurwitz, USA
- SAM Museum, USA
- Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal.
- Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi.
- Personal collections at Mumbai, Delhi, Hong Kong, Germany, Holland, Austria, Croatia, Paris, Hong Kong, Switzerland & more