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."
About artist
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 .
