Ranbir Kaleka

Ranbir Kaleka is an acclaimed multidisciplinary artist known for his diverse painterly compositions.

Ranbir Kaleka's Biography

Ranbir Kaleka was born in 1953 in Patiala, Punjab. He began his artistic journey during his college days in Patiala and Chandigarh. He pursued a diploma in Painting from the College of Art, Chandigarh. After his studies, Kaleka dedicated several years to teaching art before embarking on a Charles Wallace Scholarship to London, where he enrolled at the Royal College to further his art education. He resided in London for many years until returning to his homeland, India, in the late nineties. Currently, he lives and creates in New Delhi.

In 2007, Dr. Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek, the senior Judaica curator at the Spertus Museum in Chicago, commissioned Kaleka to create a Holocaust memorial. The resulting site-specific video installation, titled "Consider," comprises two projections—a painting and an audio narrative featuring oral testimonies from Auschwitz.

Kaleka received the National Award from the President of India at the 22nd National Exhibition of Art organized by the Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi in 1979. His artworks are in several significant collections, including the Singapore Museum, Asia Society New York, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Peabody Essex in Massachusetts, Burger Collection in Switzerland, and the National Museum of Montenegro.

Noteworthy recent exhibitions include his displays at Goethe Institut Max Mueller in Mumbai (2022), Palazzo Madama in Turin, Italy (2021–2022), Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi (2021), Hong-gah Museum in Taipei, Taiwan (2021), Gallery Ojas in Delhi (2021), Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi (2021), Vancouver Art Gallery (2020), India Habitat Centre in New Delhi (2020), among many others.

Throughout his career, he has also exhibited at prominent venues such as Volte Gallery in Mumbai, 4th Guangzhou Triennial, Singapore Art Museum, Prague Biennale 5, Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi, MOCA Taipei in Taiwan, SESC Pompeia in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Bose Pacia Gallery in New York, Mori Art Museum in Japan, Sydney Biennale, Museum of Fine Arts in Bern, Switzerland, Spertus Museum in Chicago, the 51st Venice Biennale, and Kunsthalle in Vienna, Austria.

Ranbir Kaleka's art style

Ranbir Kaleka's works are often described as surrealistic, with a tendency to follow dream-logic and avoid coherent narratives. While his earlier works from the seventies appeared more internalized, weaving together seemingly unrelated and fantastic elements, his later works maintain an open-ended quality and communicate with the viewer, making their viewing an interactive experience.

Central to Kaleka's artistic exploration is a deep fascination with the human condition and the intricate inner lives of individuals. He firmly believes that these aspects can only be hinted at and remain elusive on a conscious level.

In the later phase of his career, Kaleka discovered a new avenue for self-expression through video art. He skillfully projects videos onto painted canvases, resulting in a harmonious integration of visual elements.