Prasanta Sahu

Born in Odisha in 1968, Prasanta Sahu is a contemporary Indian artist whose multidisciplinary practice encompasses painting, drawing, installation, sculpture and photography. He studied painting at Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, and completed his postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He has been teaching in the Department of Painting at Kala Bhavana since 2001.

Sahu’s practice draws from his experiences of growing up in a small town and his connection with his ancestral village in Odisha. His early exposure to survey mapping and technical drawing, along with his engineering background, informs his use of geometry, diagrams and spatial structures. His work explores traditional knowledge systems, generational skills and the cultural practices of artisans, particularly examining how these traditions change in response to social and economic transformations.

Working across diverse media, Sahu brings together maps, text, imagery and material explorations to investigate memory, place, labour and cultural continuity. His works combine analytical structures with a poetic and reflective approach.

His notable exhibitions include Blueprint of a City at Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad, Suburban Shadows at Emami Art, Kolkata, and Anatomy of a Vegetable: Ruminations on Fragile Ecosystems at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2022 - 23 satellite programme. He lives and works in Santiniketan.