Payal Chakraborty a Visual & Cultural Artist, Curator, and Art Educator from India.

Born in India and currently practicing in London and India, as a mixed-media artist, Payal’s practice emerges from within the situations of contemporary times. Human emotions and psyche, an autobiographical context has been the dominant subject for her practice in India, where she participated in a few group exhibitions. The most appreciated one is ‘the Perfect’ as a part of the artist residency exhibition ‘Frau’ at NIV. 

Subjecting the issue of scrap and landfills became the core of Payal’s Graduation Show at London Met. The series ‘Wall of Curios’ has been published as a case study by Esperimenti Architettonici, Italy. The work subjects the mass-produced non-utilitarian scrap as invisible building blocks, co-existing in dissonance with human existence, is the reflection of our society. Working with scarp and the project ‘Dhakai Jamdani The Pride’ funded by Historic England, led her dig deep into examining the importance of sustainable traditional art practices in India and the impact of human actions on the environment.

Constantly evolving practice through medium and scale, Payal focuses on examining the dynamics of the structural fabric of the interconnectedness between humans, culture, nature, and the environment. Hence, her current research-based practice explores Anthropocene, with human existence as a progressive society, imploding inside the audaciously fabricated complex structure while ignoring the dominant awareness of sustainability in diverse cultures and their traditional practices.

Group Exhibitions

2023 ‘We are not stopping you from wearing…. Don’t question our choice….!’ at the group exhibition ‘Action Against Hate: Diversity & Religion Exhibition', University of Westminster, London.

2022 ‘We Are….?’ at the group exhibition ‘If Henna Could Speak’, Toynbee Hall, London.

2022 ‘Alluvion’ at the group exhibition ‘Togetherness’, D31 Art Gallery, Doncaster.

2021 Virtual exhibition ‘Ubiquity & Fluidity’ and physical exhibition ‘HOHOHO’, The Holy Art Gallery, London.

2021 ‘Why I?’, a collaborative blog post curated by the Italian artists Devis Bergantin and Marta Casarini. (https://shorturl.at/ipKX4)

GK Awards Vadodara, Fusion Art Foundation, and Creative Mind Awards 2013; 85th Annual All India Art Exhibition AIFACS 2012; Kala Annual Exhibition, Amritsar and Kalam Festival J.M.I. 2011; ‘Aarambh’ at Art Square Mall Paschim Vihar and Annual Exhibition at Bangya Samaj C.R. Park 2010, India.

R&D Fundings

2023  Arts Council England R18 DYCP funding.

2023  A-N Artists Bursary.

Membership

Artist membership at Visual Artists Association and A-N Artists.

Curation

2023  Multi-disciplinary curated exhibition ‘Magical Motifs’ at Toynbee Hall and House of Annetta, Funded by Historic England and Tower of Hamlets, facilitated by Toynbee Hall.

2019  Co-curated ‘Exploring Art Is A State Of Encounter….’ at NIV Art Centre, Delhi, India.

2014  The positioning of ‘Women Film Makers’ in the Indian Film Industry at Jamia Millia Islamia, India.

Documentary

2023 Documentary film ‘Magical Motifs' on Dhakai Jamdani, a sustainable hand-woven textile of Bangladesh. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNhExvDY7vU).

Publication

2022  ‘Wall of Curios’ published as a Case Study in “Circular Living: Re-imagining urban waste as commons and future cultural assets” by Esperimenti Architettonici, Italy. (https://shorturl.at/GIQY7)

Artist Residency

2016  ‘The Perfect’ at International Women’s Day Exhibition ‘Frau’, NIV Art Centre, India.

Participation

2024, Material Literacy course, Material Library of India, Noida, India.

2023  Participated in ‘Drawing with Thread’ by Gopika Nath at KNMA, Delhi.

2023  Participated in ‘Unspoken Rules of the Art World: Identity’ by ACT!, tuition fees sponsored by the SÛ Collection (Madrid/Berlin).

2023  Attended ‘Methods and Approaches for Practice Research’ short course, Goldsmiths, University of London, Department of Educational Studies.

2023  'Wall of Curios', recognized as a highly commended art work for at ‘The Just Art Award’.

2022  Community Appraiser for Petticoat Lane Conservation Project at Toynbee Hall, London.

2022  Awarded with ‘Group Mentoring’ sessions facilitated by ‘I like Networking’.

2022  'Wall of Curios' the winner of Artrepreneur Cultural Arts Open Call.

2020  Jijivisha Fellowship, Slam Out Loud, India. (Facilitating art sessions for the children from underprivileged section)

Writings

Blog: http://lifeafullcircle.home.blog/

2019  Written a review on the artistic practice of Sitikantha Samantasinghar, published in Indian Creative Mind, Volume-V, Issue-V, Sep-Oct.

Educational Qualifications

2021  Master of Fine Arts awarded with ISH/London Met Scholarship, London Metropolitan University, London.

2021  Developing Curatorial Concepts: Research & Creative Ideation, Node Centre for Curatorial Studies, Berlin.

2020  Certificate in Research Methodology, IGNCA, Delhi, India.

2015  Gold Medal M.F.A. Art History and Art Appreciation, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India.

2013  B.F.A Painting, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India.

2009  Certificate course in Painting, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India.

Voluntary Works

2022  Art Facilitator in a Team for the Project ‘CAMP: People’s History of Petticoat Lane’ at Canon Barnett Primary School, Gunthorpe St, organized by Toynbee Hall.

2022  Art Club Sessions, International Students House, London.

2017  Art workshops at ‘Art Mela for World Peace’, Nirvanavan Foundation Alwar, India.