Saroj Rout
Saroj Kumar Rout is an Odia ceramic artist who has a BFA in Sculpture from Utkal University of Culture and a MFA in Ceramics from Visvabharati University, Shanti Niketan. He has exhibited in numerous exhibitions and shows and has won the 35th Odisha State Lalit Kala Akademi Award, 2011. In his own words : " My artwork is based on my daily activities and whatever I experience throughout my rendering of these. In my work, I depict my surroundings and what affects me the most is the humour and pathos of moments from my childhood and adult life . My work reproduces familiar visual signs, arranging them into new conceptual layered pieces. Working with a something as primal and malleable as earth makes me feel closer to the concept which I attempt to depict."
Upendra Ram
Upendra Ram (1987), Siwan, Bihar is a ceramicist based out of Nagpur. He graduated with an MFA in Pottery & Ceramics from Banaras Hindu University in 2013. He practices ceramics as a conceptual medium using narratives that form puns on human existence.
Tushar Sawant
Tushar Sawant is a ceramic sculpture artist from Mumbai, India. He is equipped with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) In Ceramics from Sir. J.J. School of Art, Mumbai and Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Banaras Hindu University. He weaves together disparate elements—past and present, tradition and innovation, chaos and tranquility. Sawant's artistic practice serves as a means to navigate through this maze of uncertainty.
Rohit Kale
Rohit Kale (b. 1995) is a Mumbai-based artist whose practice revolves around drawing which has a research-driven aspect, and which incorporates methodology and contextualisation. Kale has completed his Master of Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University, UK (2018-2020) and was selected for the 2019-2020 winter semester at ABK, Stuttgart, Germany under the Erasmus Study Programme. He participated in the Belgadia Palace x BEADS Residency in 2023 where he worked extensively with sabai grass artisans in Mayurbhanj Odisha. To complement his creative pursuits, he has also ventured into the realm of critical writing. His debut article entitled "Creating Spaces" found a platform in the online art magazine, "Art Blogazine," enhancing his voice as a writer and critical thinker within the art world.
Arun Mukhuty
Arun Mukhuty is a renowned Delhi based ceramic artist who currently heads the Delhi Blue Pottery Studio at Sanskriti Delhi Blue Ceramics Centre, Anandgram. He has a BFA from Banaras Hindu University in pottery and ceramics. He has worked on numerous ceramic mural projects with renowned ceramist P R Daroz. He has also participated in several exhibitions like “Tiles Forever” group exhibition at Habitat Centre , Delhi , Indo- Australia Pottery Exhibition curated by Delhi Blue Pottery Trust, New Delhi, 2010 and MAATI, ‘Exploration in Terracotta’, a group show organised by Delhi Blue Pottery at India Habitat Centre, Delhi. He was awarded the Ceramic Sculpture award by A.I.F.A.S in 2009.
Sarada Rout
Sarada is an expert terracotta artist with a Masters in Pottery from Maharashtra . He has attended several workshops and training camps and is closely associated with Lalit Kala Akademi Bhubaneswar. He has intense interest in product development and has attended Design dissemination and product development programme-2019, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, (CSR Hub) Guwahati, Assam.
About the Artist/Designer
BEADS collaboration with Saroj stretches back to a residency he completed under the guidance of our Chief Design Mentor Jagannath Panda at his foundation Utsha in Bhubaneswar. In that residency Saroj , always keen to experiment with unfamiliar forms and traditions that would stretch his imagination and craft, discovered the artwork and motifs of the Dongria Kondh.
In his own words :
"They had fascinating designs in ornamentation , floor painting , clothing and house decoration which I felt was something I wanted to experiment on in ceramics. The triangle , a repeated shape in all of the Kondh designs became a key subject of experimentation. I have since created hundreds of functional drawings and several ceramic shapes including cutlery , plates and mugs using these designs."
His work was further inspired by a visit to the Niyamgiri hills in 2018 where he experienced first-hand the culture that had fascinated him so. Our collaboration with Saroj builds on the years of introspection and observation rendered in ceramic forms that serve to fascinate us all .
