The art and life of Arpita Singh

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 Arpita singh is one of the most influential women artists in India, Known for her detailed pictorial depiction of complex emotions and imagery. The artist was born in 1937 in Bara Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal. She received her diploma in Fine Arts at Delhi Polytechnic now known as College of Art from 1954-1959, She later joined the Government of India’s Cottage industries restoration programme in 1959, where she had the opportunity to work with local weavers and artisans which eventually reflected in her body of work. 

Her paintings are vibrant and delicate usually dominated by the pinks and blues. The bold colors and strong lines create a sense of continuity and fierce story telling. The composition is a mix of many emotions depicted in one scene with women being the central image; she absorbs the complexities of the world and represents them in her own distinctive way. She beautifully captures the themes of motherhood, feminine sensuality, vulnerability. The little details of generic things like plants, chairs, birds etc come alive in her paintings as if they are having a conversation with each other. 

The paintings doesn’t portray one single thought but are layered with many stories where she combines the youthful innocence of folk art with a modern perspective. From complex human emotions to socio political issues, her paintings are piled up with multiple ideas across the canvas. As a viewer you are not looking at a single image but a multiple series of images knitted together forming a bigger picture.

Printed words and numbers play a vital role in her works which began with her fascination with hoardings, sunboards, newspapers and leaflets. Hence she incorporated these elements in her drawings making it a unique depiction of something very ordinary. Arpita works with different mediums like paper, canvas, watercolors, acrylic, oils and fabric. When she was young she would draw on whatever was easily available due to limited resources, hence her style matured while exploring various mediums. From painting to embroidery, one may find distinctive technique applied to her style. She mastered each medium with utmost genius and grace. Some of her works also witness grotesque forms of human anatomy which were inspired by her own medical journey. Her works are truly a reflection of her own life experiences which are not only aesthetic but also signify a sense of emotional nostalgia.  

Her first solo exhibition was held in 1972, in New Delhi, at the Kunika Chemould Gallery, organised by Roshan Alkazi. She went on to have exhibitions at prestigious international venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts, London, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, and other galleries in Switzerland and Australia. She has won several awards, including the Parishad Samman from the Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi, in 1991, and the Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2011.

She has been part of many exhibitions both nationally and internationally, with a recent solo exhibition with serpentine Galleries, London. The exhibition titled ‘Remembering’ was Curated by Tamsing Hong and Liz Stumphf. It was the first solo institutional exhibition outside india featuring key works selected in close collaboration with the artist from her prolific career spanning over six decades. Some of her famous works like my lollipop city: Gemini rising, Devi Pistol wali, Lesser Myth, The Tamarind Tree were part of the exhibition.

Arpita married her fellow artist Paramjit Singh who is also one of the most celebrated landscape artists of the country. The couple had a daughter Anjum Singh; who passed away at an early age due to cancer. The couple lives and works in New Delhi.

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