Clowns: Paintings by Ashok Hazra

Another Subcontinent presents Clowns, a collection of paintings by Indian artist Ashok Hazra. This exhibition will be featured on the site till May 1, 2006 and will be archived thereafter in the "visual" features section (see links at left).

To view this exhibition click on the thumbnails on the right. Each will open a larger image in this center window. To view a fresh set of thumbnails click on the gallery links; to return to this introduction click on "front". Copyright for all images is retained by the artist and these images may not be used, disseminated or displayed without her permission.

After viewing these galleries we invite you to visit our Visual Arts forum to discuss your own responses to this exhibition. Ashok Hazra will stop by to answer questions and talk about his work.

About Ashok Hazra

Born in 1948 in Midnapore, West Bengal, Ashok Hazra received his degree in Fine Arts (Applied Arts) from the College of Art in New Delhi in 1974. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group shows in India and abroad and he has won a number of awards and honours, including the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi's state award in 1986, 1989 and 1996, and most recently the 78th All India Painting Award from AIFACS, New Delhi. His paintings hang in numerous private and public collections, both in India and abroad.

This exhibition is drawn largely from his recent series on clowns. Mr. Hazra has been haunted by the figure of the clown since a visit to a circus at the age of 13--in particular, by the eyes of the clown, surrounded by makeup, a wide smile and bright clothes. These paintings are his tribute to clowns as "satirists, moralists, reformers and philosophers"*. Also included are 4 paintings from an earlier series.

Selected Exhibitions

  • Huthee Singh Art Gallery, Ahmedabad, 1980 (solo)
  • Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004 (solo)
  • Sanskriti Arts, Gallery, Calcutta, 1996 (solo)
  • Juneja Arts Gallery, Jaipur, 1996 (solo)
  • Wanganui COllegiate School, New Zealand, 2002 (solo)
  • 8th Triennale, New Delhi, 1994 (group)

*Biographical information and quote drawn from text by the artist's daughter Madhabi Hazra