Ashis Kabasi

Ashis Kabasi was born in Kolkata in 1965. Although he is deaf and mute, he vibrates with optimism. He completed his BFA from the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta, and his MFA from Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan. 

Kabasi’s works largely consist of still lifes – wine glasses, bottles, pots, and pans. However, his figurative paintings portray his unique style of elongated necks and the yin-yang interplay of the human torso. His faces often depict expressions of anger or surprise, and no matter the life form, each figure has prominent, rolled lips. Kabasi also enjoys painting children playing games, as it adds an element of vitality and rhythm to his works. 

Kabasi paints in a sharp-edged manner, with a collage-like technique. He relies on the discipline of the arrangement of the things and objects, but the strokes never seem to settle down in a permanently contemplative situation. He uses less colour because he is more preoccupied with shapes and forms rather than colour quality.

He has had a number of solo and group exhibitions, both in India and internationally. He lives and works in Calcutta.

Works