N. S. Harsha

N. S. Harsha is an Indian contemporary artist renowned for his artistic prowess in paintings, site-specific installations, and sculptures that skillfully traverse the complexities arising from the interplay between the local and global, the traditional and contemporary, and the individual and collective realms. 

Biography of the N. S. Harsha

N. S. Harsha was born in 1969 in Mysore, India, where he continues to create and live.

Harsha completed his studies in painting at the Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts, Mysore, with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and a master's degree from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. During his academic journey, he had the privilege of learning from notable artists, including Nilima Sheikh, a renowned Baroda-based artist celebrated for her evocative paintings that resonate with the rich traditions of Indian miniature art.

Harsha was honored with the prestigious DAAD Scholarship in 2012. He also received the Artes Mundi Prize in 2008.

His recent solo exhibitions and projects have garnered international acclaim, with notable showcases at renowned venues such as Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi, India (2022), Gallery Chemould in Mumbai, India (2020), CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts, and Textile) in Hong Kong, China (2019), Victoria Miro in London, UK (2019), Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea, Wales, UK (2018), Mori Art Museum in Tokyo (2017), and the Dallas Museum of Art (2015–2016). 

Harsha's work has also been featured in prestigious group exhibitions such as the Kochi–Muziris Biennale in India, Dojima Biennial in Osaka, Adelaide International Biennial, Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, Yokohama Triennial, and the Bienal de São Paulo. He was a participant in the widely touring exhibition Indian Highway, showcased at the Serpentine Gallery in London (2008), Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo (2009), Herning Art Museum in Denmark (2010), Musée d'Art Contemporain in Lyon (2011), and MAXXI in Rome (2011–12).

Harsha's artistic contributions have been preserved in the permanent collections of esteemed institutions such as the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Muhka Museum in Antwerp, Glynn Vivian Gallery in Swansea, the National Museum of Cardiff in the UK, Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi.

N. S. Harsha's art style

N. S. Harsha draws inspiration from a diverse range of Indian painting traditions, popular arts, and the Western canon to create thought-provoking and luminous artworks. His creations possess a quiet philosophical quality, inviting contemplation on geopolitical dynamics and our increasingly technology-driven connection with the world. Through meticulously crafted paintings, works on paper, sculptures, site-specific installations, and public projects, N. S. Harsha explores the intricate nature of structures, borders, and barriers. These elements are portrayed as fluid and ever-evolving concepts, suggesting an interconnectedness that urges viewers to reflect on their relationship with the artwork as part of a larger discourse surrounding systems of knowledge, belief, and power.

Harsha's artistic expressions weave together personal experiences with shared narratives and the complex socio-political dynamics of our macrocosmic and microcosmic world. While storytelling remains integral to his practice, Harsha's recent canvases defy linear narrative, instead embracing loosely gridded compositions. These compositions feature the successions of musicians, dancers, langur monkeys, cows, dairy farmers, and scientists. The artist likens the process of creating these works to a chant with forms, evoking a musical sense of cyclical time.

Harsha's artworks portray everyday life in Mysore while shedding light on broader cultural, political, and economic globalization issues.