collective Wisdom project
Earth was formed around 4.54 billion years ago, approximately one-third the age of the universe, by accretion from the solar nebula. Volcanic outgassing probably created the primordial atmosphere and then the ocean, but the early atmosphere contained almost no oxygen until 2 billion years.
Recognizable humans emerged at most 2 million years ago but we have the last 4000 years of awareness or document/ed/ing awareness.
So this is a mere effort of passing the knowledge.
However small in comparison we feel we are the centre of the universe and time.
Aham Brahma Asmi (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि) - "I am Brahman" … I am the Total
And since 'Brahman' is infinite, and this 'universe' is infinite…I am infinite!
Hence we are always totaling up our meanings and imaginations in n number of permutations.
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For the past little over 2 decades, I have been questioning the idea that time and memory, beginnings and ends, arrivals and departures, and the very essence of the artist’s role in society (as I was born in a family of artists).
This has led to the themes of this project that revolves around the central themes of human consciousness and experience…a kind of humanist spiritual narrative through philosophy.
the project.
about.
Ratnadeep was born and raised in a family of artists, where art and social life imbricated each other very closely. Furthermore, he was formally trained at Sir J J School of Art - one of Asia's most renowned art colleges. He went on to achieve significant success beginning with his first solo exhibition, Memoirs of the unreal city and findings through journeys, 1998, Mumbai to his latest exhibition, 8 Stories, 2017, Berlin, Germany. A recipient of several prestigious awards like ‘The Governors Prize’, ‘The Harmony Award’ for Best Emerging Artist and ‘Bendre-Hussain Scholarship’, he is the first Indian artist to showcase a solo exhibition at the Berlin Opera House, The Golden Ear - Tribute to Wagner, 2013. He has also ventured into several subsects of art like filmmaking titled 'Shipsoul' with German sculptor Wolf documenting salvaged ship components from Alang in Gujarat and creating a sculpture. Further, he executed a Land Art Project in Varvara, Bulgaria in 2019.
Amongst all his noteworthy solo exhibitions, a few include Parallax Views at Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2014; Discourses of Prismatic Truths at Pavillon du Centanarie/Arcelor Mittal, Luxembourg, 2011; Allegories of Talking Road at Galerie Sylvia Bernhardt, Germany, 2010; and Proverb In/ter/ventions at The NUS Museum, Singapore, 2009. Some remarkable group exhibitions include Power of Peace, UNESCO 2nd Global Forum, Bangkok, Thailand, 2009; Imprints The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 2007; Indian Art Lasalle-SIA College of Art, Sculpture Square Gallery, Singapore, 2006; Indian Contemporary Art, Chelsea Art College, U.K. 2006 and Ao~rta Project, BBK Kunst Forum, Dusseldorf and Ausstellungshalle Innenhafen, Duisburg, Germany 2001. Ratnadeep's works have received notable and critical acclamation in various renowned journals, magazines, and newspapers like Time-Out, Asian Art News, Art and Deal, and Indian Contemporary Art Journal.
Defying coherent definitions, Ratnadeep has upraised methodologies and subject matters alike throughout his artistic oeuvre, where he synergises metaphors from various contradictory or unpredicted sources, both historical and contemporary. The use of varied materials and techniques in his works is a testimony to his artistic multiplicity, underlined with a consistent resistance to any form of classification. Throughout his practice, he has rejected mechanical interventions by obstinately exploring the visual effects of mechanical technology by hand - oftentimes prolonged and physically demanding.
Passing on the inspiration, Ratnadeep has been actively persuading and encouraging the younger generation to relate to the fundamentals of art through Arka Art Trust, a non-profit organization that he co-founded to build art awareness through public events, thereby bridging the gap between professional artists and art students. He is on governing body of several art institutions including the Devrukh Museum. He served as the managing committee member of The Bombay Art Society, where he curated the first exhibition inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also curated the Collateral Exhibition for Kochi-Muziris Biennale, 2016.
Ratnadeep works and lives between Mumbai, Dubai, and Berlin.
