BAUL – O – BAULINI

Born in 1952 in West Bengal, India, Tapas Sarkar is a First Class First in sculpture from Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata. He worked as a modeler and head of the studio at the Indian Museum in Kolkata for many years, before giving it up to pursue sculpting as a fulltime profession.

Tapas Sarkar’s sculptures are a celebration of all forms of life, and range across various mediums, from bronze, terracotta and plaster, to glass-wool, aluminium, and scrap. His works find inspiration in mythology and the Kalighat tradition of Bengal painting, which he reinterprets to form captivating contemporary narratives.

Founder of Calcutta Sculptors in 1994, Tapas Sarkar has held 19 Solo Exhibitions in his credit and 100 group exhibitions across various Indian cities, including Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Santiniketan. He has participated in more than 80 group shows and has executed 34 giant installations, in sizes ranging from 10 to 55 feet, for important institutions and public places including NTPC, SAIL, IFFCO, and State and Central Government organizations. He has also participated in several Indian and international camps and workshops.

He has received several awards and scholarships such as the Governor’s Gold Medal, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, Rabindra Bharati University and State Lalit Kala Academy, M.P. He has toured and held talks on the ‘Indian Sculpture Contemporary Scene’ in various European countries, organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in 1999. Adding yet another feather to his cap, the Kolkata Port Trust installed a work by Tapas Sarkar, on its 150th anniversary. The artist lives and works in Kolkata.